CVS Health Research Institute evaluates quality of care at MinuteClinic for acute ailments
WOONSOCKET, R.I. — New data from CVS Health that examined quality of care for acute conditions at retail clinics, such as MinuteClinic, underscores previous research in suggesting that care at clinics for common acute conditions is the same or better than the care delivered in more costly settings like emergency rooms and urgent care centers.
Researchers from CVS Health Research Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital published the findings in the October issue of The American Journal of Managed Care.
This study of 75,000 patients based on data from a major insurer is the largest to date evaluating the quality of care for acute conditions at retail clinics as compared with other care settings. Quality of care was assessed using 14 measures constructed from Rand Corp.'s Quality Assurance Tools as well as guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Association of Family Practitioners and the Infectious Disease Society of America.
"As we all work to manage rising costs while dealing with a shortage of primary care physicians, identifying high quality health care delivery systems that provide convenient access to affordable care is increasingly important," stated William Shrank, chief scientific officer, CVS Health. "This study is the largest to date evaluating the quality of care for acute conditions at retail clinics such as MinuteClinic, and the findings are consistent with previous research in suggesting that care at retail clinics for common acute conditions is the same or better than the care delivered in more costly EDs and urgent care facilities."
When taken together with evidence that retail clinics are most cost effective and even cost-saving to patients, these results underscore the promise of retail clinics in offering care of high quality at lower cost than other settings. It also points to the potential role of retail clinics in improving care coordination for chronic disease management and population health management, according to CVS Health.
"MinuteClinic has long been focused on providing accessible, high quality, affordable health care that is complimentary and supportive of the primary care provider," stated Andrew Sussman, president, CVS/minuteclinic, and SVP/associate chief medical officer, CVS Health. "This data reiterates the high level of quality care provided by our MinuteClinic practitioners and suggests the important role our clinics can play in the rapidly evolving health care landscape."
The CVS Health Research Institute is focused on contributing to the body of scientific knowledge related to pharmacy and health care through research collaborations with external academic institutions, participation in federally-funded research, analysis and sharing of CVS Health data sources and coordination of pilot programs and initiatives.