MinuteClinic Expands in New England; Debuts Rhode Island's First Retail Medical Clinics

WOONSOCKET, R.I., Oct. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- MinuteClinic, the retail medical clinic of CVS Health, opened its first location in Rhode Island today inside the CVS/pharmacy store in Woonsocket. Two more walk-in clinics will begin seeing patients tomorrow in CVS/pharmacy locations in Cranston and Wakefield. MinuteClinic is the largest and fastest growing provider of retail medical clinics in the United States with more than 940 locations in 30 states.

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The Rhode Island clinics are part of MinuteClinic's plan to add 150 clinics nationwide in 2014. With the openings this week, there will be 87 MinuteClinic locations in New England inside select CVS/pharmacy stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.  

MinuteClinic locations are open seven days a week with no appointment necessary. Most major health insurance is accepted in Rhode Island, including Medicare and Medicaid health plans. For patients paying cash or credit, treatment prices are posted at each clinic and on www.minuteclinic.com. The cost for most services starts at $79.

"MinuteClinic is the latest innovation CVS Health is bringing to its home state to help expand access to high quality care and lower costs," said Andrew Sussman, M.D., president, MinuteClinic and senior vice president/associate chief medical officer, CVS Health. "As we have experienced elsewhere in New England and across the U.S., MinuteClinic can support the primary care medical model by offering services at convenient locations near where patients live and work and at times when traditional options may not be available."

The Rhode Island clinics are included in a clinical collaboration between MinuteClinic and Lifespan to enhance continuity of care with the primary care community.  Lifespan is Rhode Island's largest health system with a network of more than 1,800 affiliated physicians throughout the state. Both organizations will integrate their electronic medical records to further promote exchange of clinical information, with patients' permission.

The clinics are staffed by MinuteClinic nurse practitioners and physician assistants who specialize in family health care and can diagnose, treat and write prescriptions for common family illnesses such as strep throat and ear, eye, sinus, bladder and bronchial infections. Minor wounds, abrasions, skin conditions and knee and ankle sprains are treated, and common vaccinations such as influenza, tetanus, pneumonia and Hepatitis A & B are available.

In addition, MinuteClinic administers a series of wellness services designed to help patients identify lifestyle changes needed to improve their current and future health, including screenings and monitoring for diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol and face-to-face smoking cessation and weight loss management counseling.

MinuteClinic practitioners provide a diagnosis and treatment plan and offer educational materials at the conclusion of each visit. A diagnostic visit summary is sent via electronic health record or fax within 24 hours to primary care providers with patient permission. MinuteClinic is connected to CurrentCare, the Rhode Island health information exchange, to fully integrate its clinical information with the records of local providers.

Sussman says MinuteClinic is committed to helping patients find a medical home and believes it can play a complementary role in working with local providers.

"About 50 percent of MinuteClinic visits occur on evenings, weekends and holidays when patients may not be able to get an appointment with their primary care provider," Sussman said. "For the large number of patients who do not have a primary care physician, we provide a list of local physicians taking new patients for future care."

MinuteClinic will also be collaborating with the Rhode Island Free Clinic, providing care for free to its patients, as part of its overall commitment to increasing access to affordable health care in Rhode Island. CVS Health already provides free medications for these patients at several CVS/pharmacy locations in the state.

"The support of MinuteClinic nurse practitioners and physician assistants in providing care to our patients, will be a great complement to the quality care provided at Rhode Island Free Clinic," said Marie Ghazal, Chief Executive Officer, Rhode Island Free Clinic. "Overall, MinuteClinic will also increase access to care for uninsured Rhode Islanders, promote more patients to find a primary care physician and help to reduce costs to the health care system in our state."

The MinuteClinic walk-in medical clinics in Rhode Island operate from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

Now Open:

• Woonsocket, 1054 Cass Avenue                                                                        

Opening October 30

• Cranston, 681 Reservoir Avenue
• Wakefield, 11 Main Street

Opening Later in 2014 and in 2015

• East Greenwich, 1285 S. County Trail
• North Smithfield, 120 Eddie Dowling Highway
• Providence, 799 Hope Street
• Westerly, 151 Franklin Street

About MinuteClinic
CVS/minuteclinic is the retail medical clinic of CVS Health (NYSE: CVS), the largest pharmacy health care provider in the United States. MinuteClinic launched the first retail medical clinics in the United States in 2000 and is the largest provider of retail clinics with more than 900 locations in 30 states and the District of Columbia. By creating a health care delivery model that responds to patient demand, MinuteClinic makes access to high-quality medical treatment easier for more Americans. Nationally, the company has provided care through more than 22 million patient visits, with a 95% customer satisfaction rating. MinuteClinic is the only retail health care provider to receive three consecutive accreditations from The Joint Commission, the national evaluation and certifying agency for nearly 20,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. For more information, visit www.MinuteClinic.com.  

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SOURCE CVS Health