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Practice Trends
Practice Trends
New Idea in Marketing:
'Medical Boutiques'
A
new kind of store, predicated on the idea that the boom in self-care can be eminently profitable, has begun to spring up in the Southwest. The "medical boutique" sells customers just about everything they need to monitor and maintain their own health. As reported in American Medical News (November 7, 1986), one of these stores is Attention Medical Co. Headquartered in Irving, TX, the company owns Health Yourself stores in Duncanville, Dallas, and
Plano, TX, and St. Petersburg, FL. According to a company spokesman, Linda Harris, RN, the stores sell "things that help people maintain fitness. We have clients with chronic problems like diabetes. They are normal, healthy functioning people whom we supply with products they need." After a mere 2 years, the company has $3 million in annual sales, and has added a catalog business, the "Self Care Catalog," that received 7,000 orders last year. Just what does a medical boutique sell? One category ofitems is self-diagnostic products: kits for detecting ovulation, pregnancy, and colorectal cancer; and gadgets that measure blood alcohol level and stress. The sports medicine department is kept well stocked, and
aids for giving up smoking and poor eating habits are popular. There are also items such as glucometers for patients with chronic diseases like diabetes. But what seems to give the stores their tremendous appeal is the number of items that-let's face it-are really more like toys. There's an "Inspectoscope" that permits the user to probe a nose or an ear, a blow tube whistle to see if your lungs are in good shape, and a 2-oz meter that sounds a warning
when a runner's heels are hitting the ground too hard. It may be that these stores are, in part, filling a gap that was engendered by the era of prospective payment policies, since they carry an extensive line of hospital supplies, including specialized tapes and bandages. However, it's hard not to get the impression, in contemplating these stores, that they also offer a good dose of fun. All too often, home health care departments, especially if they are not kept up very well, can be depressing places. By combining the basics of home health care with lots of other items that emphasize health, pleasure, and the intriguing aspects of design wizardry, Attention Medical has created a most appealing new venture. ®
American Pharmacy, Vol. NS27, No.4, April 1987/253
-
WE HAVE ONLY
GOOD
THINGS TO SAY
oT
If detected early, the cure rate for colorectal cancer is very high. It can be as high as 75%. Because we now know how to detect it early. And we know how to fight it once we detect it. There are three simple checkup guidelines for men and women without symptoms. One, get a digital exam every year. This is recommended for everyone over 40. Two, get a stool blood test every year if you are over 50. Three, after two initial negative tests one year apart, get a procto exam every three to five years if you are over 50. These guidelines are the best protection against colorectal cancer you can have. If you're not over 50 , please give this information to friends and loved ones who are. In any case, please help spread the word. Good news doesn't always travel fast.
I
AMERICAN
~CANCER
¥SOClETY®
Get a checkup. Life is worth it. 9
New Idea in Marketing:
'Medical Boutiques'
A
new kind of store, predicated on the idea that the boom in self-care can be eminently profitable, has begun to spring up in the Southwest. The "medical boutique" sells customers just about everything they need to monitor and maintain their own health. As reported in American Medical News (November 7, 1986), one of these stores is Attention Medical Co. Headquartered in Irving, TX, the company owns Health Yourself stores in Duncanville, Dallas, and
Plano, TX, and St. Petersburg, FL. According to a company spokesman, Linda Harris, RN, the stores sell "things that help people maintain fitness. We have clients with chronic problems like diabetes. They are normal, healthy functioning people whom we supply with products they need." After a mere 2 years, the company has $3 million in annual sales, and has added a catalog business, the "Self Care Catalog," that received 7,000 orders last year. Just what does a medical boutique sell? One category ofitems is self-diagnostic products: kits for detecting ovulation, pregnancy, and colorectal cancer; and gadgets that measure blood alcohol level and stress. The sports medicine department is kept well stocked, and
aids for giving up smoking and poor eating habits are popular. There are also items such as glucometers for patients with chronic diseases like diabetes. But what seems to give the stores their tremendous appeal is the number of items that-let's face it-are really more like toys. There's an "Inspectoscope" that permits the user to probe a nose or an ear, a blow tube whistle to see if your lungs are in good shape, and a 2-oz meter that sounds a warning
when a runner's heels are hitting the ground too hard. It may be that these stores are, in part, filling a gap that was engendered by the era of prospective payment policies, since they carry an extensive line of hospital supplies, including specialized tapes and bandages. However, it's hard not to get the impression, in contemplating these stores, that they also offer a good dose of fun. All too often, home health care departments, especially if they are not kept up very well, can be depressing places. By combining the basics of home health care with lots of other items that emphasize health, pleasure, and the intriguing aspects of design wizardry, Attention Medical has created a most appealing new venture. ®
American Pharmacy, Vol. NS27, No.4, April 1987/253
-
WE HAVE ONLY
GOOD
THINGS TO SAY
oT
If detected early, the cure rate for colorectal cancer is very high. It can be as high as 75%. Because we now know how to detect it early. And we know how to fight it once we detect it. There are three simple checkup guidelines for men and women without symptoms. One, get a digital exam every year. This is recommended for everyone over 40. Two, get a stool blood test every year if you are over 50. Three, after two initial negative tests one year apart, get a procto exam every three to five years if you are over 50. These guidelines are the best protection against colorectal cancer you can have. If you're not over 50 , please give this information to friends and loved ones who are. In any case, please help spread the word. Good news doesn't always travel fast.
I
AMERICAN
~CANCER
¥SOClETY®
Get a checkup. Life is worth it. 9