Clark has been a longtime fan of nurse-in-a-box facilities. These facilities are typically located in pharmacies, discount stores or supermarkets, and they offer the services of a nurse practitioner who administers basic medical care.

Customers love these kinds of "store within a store" operations because they're open 7 days a week for extended hours. They also offer a cheaper alternative to the emergency room.

But what's the quality of care you actually receive at a nurse-in-a-box facility?

The September issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine published a study with the following surprising results:

"Overall costs of care for episodes initiated at retail clinics were substantially lower than those of matched episodes initiated at physician offices, urgent care centers and emergency departments. ($110 vs. $166, $156, and $570, respectively)"

And this conclusion statement:

"Retail clinics provide less costly treatment than physician offices or urgent care centers for 3 common illnesses, with no apparent adverse effect on quality of care or delivery of preventive care."

That last phrase -- "with no apparent adverse effect on quality of care or delivery of preventive care" -- says it all.