Taking their cue from a national health-care trend, two Maine physicians have just opened a walk-in clinic near the Maine Mall that promises quick, affordable and convenient care for minor illnesses.

ASAP Medical Clinic provides basic health care without an appointment, charging $45 for standard visits and $12.50 for most prescriptions, which are filled on site.

Patients don’t need to have insurance, and can expect to be seen and treated by a nurse practitioner or physician assistant in 30 minutes or less, according to clinic owners.

Common complaints the clinic handles include the flu, ear aches, bladder infections, athlete’s foot and allergies. An on-site lab can diagnose strep throat, mono and other simple ailments.

ASAP does not treat more serious health conditions or injuries, referring patients to hospitals or area medical practices. It does not provide ongoing or routine checkups, either.

“We want to be the place that primary care doctors send their patients to in a pinch, when they are overbooked and handling more serious cases,” said Dr. Michael Bergeron, who co-owns ASAP with Dr. Peter Beeckel. Both are family practitioners.

“For minor illnesses, it makes more sense to send a patient to a clinic like ours, than to the emergency room,” Bergeron said.

ASAP Medical Clinic – located in a small shopping center near Outback Steakhouse – joins a growing number of retail-based health clinics opening nationwide in malls, pharmacies and department stores.

Retail-based clinics seek high traffic shopping areas that are easy for patients to access. They charge a single fee for treating most simple ailments. Many clinics are located in Wal-Mart stores and CVS pharmacies.

Up to half the patients who use retail-based clinics are uninsured or under-insured, according to industry surveys.

MinuteClinics and Take Care Health Systems are among the nation’s fastest growing chains of retail-based clinics, with major expansion plans for 2007.

Representatives at both companies said no announcements are pending for launching clinics in Maine or northern New England.

At ASAP, the two doctor-owners say they saw a need for easy-to-access, acute medical care that meets the budgets of most Mainers.

The doctors say they expect to draw patients who don’t routinely seek medical care because they lack insurance, or they cannot get in to see their regular doctor.

Jodie Hayes seems to fit that patient profile. Hayes, who works at a busy South Portland call center, recently could not find a convenient time to see her physician in Sanford.

“I had a small rash, and I needed it checked out,” said Hayes. “So I decided to try ASAP. The staff and facility are amazing. They put my mind at ease. I definitely would go back.”

Hayes said she especially liked the quick, automated check-in.

Instead of filling out a patient questionnaire by hand, she was directed to a computer screen and keyboard in the waiting room.

When she left the clinic, Hayes received a printout of the service, which she can send to her insurance provider.

The record of her visit was electronically forwarded to her primary care doctor. “All I had to do was check off the name of my regular doctor from a list that was on the computer screen,” Hayes said. “It was quick and pretty amazing.”

Andrea Deschaine, who works at the Maine Mall, also expects to use ASAP in the near future. Affordability is a big factor for her.

Deschaine, 25, said she cannot readily afford insurance on her salary as a hair dresser. But her wages are too high to qualify her for MaineCare, a subsidized insurance for low-income workers.

Deschaine said her solution is to avoid seeking medical care until she gets really ill. Then, she heads to a local urgent-care facility or hospital emergency room.

“This winter I went to Brighton First Care when I got really sick, with a headache and a sore neck,” Deschaine said. “They took my temperature and blood pressure, and I paid $150 to find out I had the flu.”

Deschaine said she looks forward to using ASAP. “I can avoid the massive bills I get when I go to the ER,” she said.

Andrew MacLean, deputy executive vice president of the Maine Medical Association, said that about 11 percent to 14 percent of Mainers lack insurance.

He noted that far too many people turn to emergency rooms for medical treatment of minor ailments that should be handled in an outpatient setting.

A common reason is they do not have insurance, and cannot afford to pay out of pocket for a personal care physician.

Hospitals see all patients, regardless of ability to pay. Hospitals also work with patients to help them cover bills, offering monthly payback plans.

MacLean said the Maine Medical Association has not taken a formal position on retail-based health clinics. He said the medical association is most interested in ensuring quality care and balancing “patient interests and access with good medical practices.”

Bergeron said his clinic is developing a referral list of area physicians who accept new patients and work with patients who lack insurance or have high deductibles.

“We want to be a bridge to the rest of the medical community,” Bergeron said.

Dr. Donald Burgess, a Kennebunk pediatrician, said it is crucial for children’s doctors to see young patients on an ongoing basis to understand their needs.

He worries that young patients may have chronic health conditions that retail-based health centers will not pick up in one visit.

“A child may have a serious condition, but the parents seek out a clinic at Wal-Mart, because it’s a convenience issue,” said Burgess, president of the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. “All children need a medical home.”

Tracey Belko, spokeswoman for Take Care Clinics, based in Pennsylvania, said that consumers seek quality, convenience and affordability in health care, but don’t always find it in traditional medical practices.

“If you’re a mom and your child is ill with the flu, perhaps you will have to sit three or four hours in an ER, because it is the weekend and your doctor’s office is closed,” said Belko. “It is easy enough to walk into one of our clinics. The wait is 10 minutes. You can get treatment and a prescription filled.”

Nurse practitioner Duncan Hopkins examines a slide in the clinic’s lab, which offers tests for simple ailments such as strep throat and mono. Nurse practitioner Duncan Hopkins checks the blood pressure of a patient. ASAP Medical Clinic shares space in a retail shopping center with Subway, Snip-Its Hair Salon and Pom’s Thai Restaurant. Retail-based clinics seek locations in high-traffic shopping areas.