Cardinal Health's Medicine Shoppe is opening up 500 mini-clinics in the slums of India. Medically trained professionals, minimal fees (20Rs!) and a well-stocked pharmacy are some of the attractions not to mention diagnostic labs and imaging.
In a way, the medical system is reverting back to its mom-and-pop roots, but on a much grander scale. Convenience clinics offer basic, personalized care usually for low-income, elderly or uninsured populations thereby diverting them from going to the ER for non-critical issues. This way, rationing of medical care does not end up occurring via triage and long waits in packed ERs but instead in convenient care locations around town.
With allocation of scarce resources always a concern for health care, this is one great way to keeps costs down and provide increased access.