In-store health clinics are spreading like the common cold to a rising number of major drugstore and hypermarket chains, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc., CVS Corp. and Rite Aid Corp.,

according to a Wall Street Journal report. These clinics offer routine medical services such as strep-throat tests, sports physicals and flu shots, charging $25 to $60 per visit. Staffed by nurse practitioners who can legally treat patients and write prescriptions (in some states), the clinics don’t require an appointment and are open during pharmacy hours, including evenings and weekends. The first clinics will open in Rite Aid stores in Portland, OR, with a goal of opening as many as 1,300 by the end of 2007.