Investor-owned ambulatory care walk-in centers: how have primary care physicians responded?

Investor-owned walk-in centers are a recent innovation in ambulatory care. The authors surveyed private practice primary care physicians about their marketing strategies before and after the advent of a local walk-in center. Respondents were more likely to report that they accepted walk-ins and that they advertised in the latter than in the former time period. Findings are discussed in the framework of previous predictions about the impact of walk-in centers on the delivery of care in traditional primary care practice settings.