MinuteClinic, Florida Hospital Medical Group enter clinical affiliation

WOONSOCKET, R.I. and MAITLAND, Fla. — CVS Caremark’s MinuteClinic has announced that it is partnering with Florida Hospital Medical Group, a multispecialty physician group affiliated with Florida Hospital, in a clinical affiliation that expands access to healthcare services in central Florida.



Under the agreement, FHMG physicians will serve as medical directors for 12 MinuteClinic walk-in medical clinics inside select CVS/pharmacy stores in Orlando and the surrounding counties of Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk and Seminole.



MinuteClinic and FHMG also will collaborate on patient education and disease management initiatives. FHMG and Florida Hospital will accept patients requiring a level of care outside the scope of MinuteClinic's walk-in services for common illnesses, wellness and prevention services, including health condition monitoring.



"MinuteClinic joins Florida Hospital Medical Group in its commitment to help patients remain healthy by making high-quality, cost-effective medical care more accessible in Central Florida," stated Andrew Sussman, president of MinuteClinic and SVP/associate chief medical officer for CVS Caremark. "Florida Hospital has a long tradition of forging successful community partnerships, and we look forward to having their physicians collaborate with our nurse practitioners to provide quality oversight, teaching and backup so we can provide the best care at the lowest overall cost."



MinuteClinic and FHMG also will work toward fully integrating electronic medical record systems to streamline communication around all aspects of patients' care. In the meantime, MinuteClinic will continue its standard practice of sending patient visit summaries to primary care providers via fax or mail, typically within 24 hours of the visit.



"Our goal is to supplement the efficient and convenient care already provided by MinuteClinic with additional support and clinical expertise, which will improve primary care access for our community and expand our continuum of care," stated Neil Finkler, chief medical officer of FHMG. "This partnership will streamline patient care communication and facilitate access to FHMG practitioners for patients in need of further medical care."