MinuteClinic is a division of CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) that provides retail clinic services.[2] MinuteClinic was initially started as QuickMedx[3] by Dr. Douglas Smith and his patient Rick Krieger, along with Stephen Pontius in Minneapolis, Minnesota. MinuteClinic has more than 1,100 locations in 33 states and the District of Columbia. MinuteClinic was acquired by CVS in July 2006.[4]

MinuteClinic
Company typeSubsidiary
FoundedMarch 2000; 24 years ago (2000-03) (as QuickMedx, Inc.)
HeadquartersWoonsocket, Rhode Island, U.S.
Number of locations
800 (Dec 2013)[1]
Products
ParentCVS Health
Websitewww.cvs.com/minuteclinic

MinuteClinic is the first retail health care provider to receive an accreditation from The Joint Commission.[5]

Services and hours edit

MinuteClinics are staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants.[6] Services offered by MinuteClinics include vaccinations for viruses such as influenza, tetanus-pertussis, pneumovax, and Hepatitis A & B. They also provide sports and camp physicals, Department of Transportation physicals, sexual transmitted disease (STD) testing and treatment, contraception services, smoking cessation, and TB testing.

MinuteClinics are located inside CVS/pharmacy stores and some Target stores.[7] MinuteClinics accept most insurance plans.[citation needed]

Locations edit

The following states have MinuteClinic locations:

 
States in which Minute Clinics currently operate

Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Washington DC

Criticism edit

MinuteClinics, like other convenience care clinics, replace visits patients might otherwise have with their primary care provider, limiting the opportunities for a PCP to develop that relationship, potentially fragmenting the patient's health care. Previously, the clinics did not have the patient's medical record. [8] However, recent advances in medical records systems now allow clinicians to access records from patients’ primary clinic with their permission. In 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that parents not use retail-based clinics for their children.[9] They updated those recommendations in 2017, to state “ The Academy recommends that physicians coordinate with urgent care and retail-based clinics, to ensure high-quality services outside the medical home.” MinuteClinics are now providing primary care, as well as management of some chronic diseases such as diabetes, pulmonary diseases, and hypertension in many states. The expansion of primary care services is in conjunction with the growing need for primary care providers across the country. MinuteClinics now provide drive-thru Covid-19 testing at select locations in concert with labs such as Quest Diagnostics.

References edit

  1. ^ "CVS Caremark, Form 10-K, Annual Report, Filing Date Feb 15, 2013". secdatabase.com. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
  2. ^ "CVS Looks To Make Its Drugstores A Destination For Health Care". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  3. ^ "QuickMedx to become MinuteClinic". Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. 30 September 2003. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  4. ^ "CVS to buy MinuteClinic". Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. 13 July 2006. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  5. ^ Wilbert, Lauren (22 October 2006). "MinuteClinic gets JCAHO accreditation". Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  6. ^ "Patients turn to nurse practitioners, physician assistants (third in a series)". www.naplesnews.com. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  7. ^ Truong, Kevin (2019-07-23). "Kaiser Permanente partners with MinuteClinic to cover services for traveling members". MedCity News. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  8. ^ Why doctors worry about Minute Clinics--and what they should learn from them Claire McCarthy, Boston Globe, February 24, 2014
  9. ^ Laughlin JJ, Simon GR, Baker C, Barden GA, Brown OW, Hardin A, Lessin HR, Meade K, Moore S, Rodgers CT (March 1, 2014). "From the American Academy of Pediatrics. Policy Statement. AAP Principles Concerning Retail-Based Clinics". Pediatrics. 133 (3): e794–e797. doi:10.1542/peds.2013-4080. PMID 24567015.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)