"Historically, there were two options if you needed health care: your doctor or the emergency room. As demand for primary care increased and costs for emergency care soared, a third option appeared: urgent care. Recently, there has been an explosion of options to improve access to health care, including retail clinics at drug stores and telemedicine. In theory, these new options could reduce overall health care costs by treating conditions earlier and preventing more expensive care. The concern is, however, that people may increase their utilization of health care, thereby leading to higher overall costs."

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