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Primary-care doctors are less enthusiastic about the idea. Yet the American Academy of Family Physicians (A.A.F.P.) has officially concluded that it is pointless to battle the clinics' proliferation, and has chosen instead to define standards of sound practice. Many doctors argue that the clinics cannot provide the ongoing relationship between patient and caregiver that is crucial to managing disease. "There's no history and there's no future implied by the interaction" between nurse and patient at a miniclinic, says Dr. John Saultz, who teaches family medicine at Oregon Health & Science University. "We take responsibility for [our patients] and look after them over time, meeting a set of comprehensive needs."

Webster Golinkin, CEO of InterFit, dismisses the concern. Half of RediClinic's customers, he says, have no primary-care physician. It's often the clinics that refer such patients to doctors. "We're not replacing any part of the health-care system," says Golinkin. "We're complementing it." And possibly improving it. The A.A.F.P. has lately urged its members to take steps to cut wait times and generally treat patients a little more like paying customers. A little competition should help drive that message home.