17 March 2016 - - US-based management consulting firm Oliver Wyman has released the results of a new survey on consumers' experiences with alternative sites of care, such as retail health clinics, urgent care centers, and telehealth.

The report, entitled "The New Front Door to Healthcare is Here," found that more consumers across all demographics are using these alternative sites of care, and many are having good experiences.

Survey findings indicate that consumers will increasingly use alternative sites. As a result, Oliver Wyman projects at least USD 200bn in current healthcare spend could flow to one or more of these alternative sites of care.

According to the report, 70% of consumers are familiar with the concept of a health and wellness clinic within a retail store.

One-quarter of consumers have used a retail clinic, an 11% age point increase from the previous survey in 2013.

Almost 80% of consumers who had visited a health and wellness clinic within a drug store, discount retail store, or grocery store within the past two years said the experience was the same or better than a traditional doctor's office.

Almost 30% said the experience was better or much better.

The survey found that 57% of consumers are now familiar with the concept of a health and wellness visit conducted remotely via phone, voice chat, or video chat.

It's not just the young and healthy who are using alternative sites. The survey shows use across many demographic and health segments.

For example, 17% of 18-24 year olds and 17% of those 65 years and older had used a retail clinic.

The national online survey was conducted in late 2015 among more than 2,000 individuals sampled to be representative of key demographics including age, income, race, and geography.

Oliver Wyman is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh and McLennan Companies (NYSE: MMC).