I’m curious… why don’t Urgent Care centers sell any OTC medications?

My son (Griffin, in his early 20’s) visited our local Urgent Care this week and was diagnosed with an URI.  He was given a suggested list of OTC medications to make him feel better faster. 

That list and the cost at the local chair drug store are below:

• An oral antihistamine – $18.99
• A steroid nasal spray – $15.99
• Zinc – $11.99
• Vitamin D3 – $7.20
• Vitamin C – $16.99
  TOTAL = $71.16

I guarantee that if the UC had some of these for sale that Griffin would’ve just bought them all (he has no idea what we already have!) there vs. making another stop at the drug store.  If they were a convenient size version it would’ve been even more of a no-brainer for him. 

Typical markup for a chain retailer is 20-40% depending on the item.  I started to work out some scenarios of wholesale prices vs. retail prices at different markup percentages but thought there just must be another reason why UCs don’t sell these items. 

• Are there licensing restrictions at the state level that are not worth navigating?
• Are storage and inventory not worth the revenue?
• Staff training?
• Is there a liability in selling common OTC items I’m not thinking of?

I’m always thinking about additional revenue-generating services our members could offer that would also be highly appealing to patients — and this one continues to capture my interest.

Let me know why your center(s) don’t carry any OTC options for your patients…