Introduction: To regenerate the problematic regional healthcare system in Japan, the introduction of family healthcare doctors and clinics has been focused on recently. This study revealed the effects of the establishment of family healthcare clinics through a time-series analysis of the medical district in Kikukawa city, Shizuoka prefecture.

Methods: To know the change of outpatient visits before and after the establishment of a family healthcare clinic (K clinic), health insurance claims for the existing K hospital and new K clinic were analyzed. Claims were collected for 3 years before and after the establishment of K clinic at 3 months intervals.

Results: Based on the analysis of the number of patients and their attributes, migration from K hospital to K clinic after the establishment of K clinic was low. The clinic is especially favored by neighboring elderly people.

Conclusion: There is a clear distinction between a hospital and a clinic in accordance with their differences of expected functions.