MinuteClinic, Humana expand partnership's focus on chronic illness management

NEW YORK The expansion of MinuteClinic's partnership with Humana not only further illustrates the important role that retail-based clinics play in the U.S. healthcare system and the model's growing acceptance among third-party payers, but it also underscores the significance of worksite clinics.

As stated in the article, Humana is working with MinuteClinic, as well as LifeSynch, to open a health clinic for its employees and their dependents at a Humana facility in downtown Louisville, Ky. The site will offer health screenings, on-site health coaching and integrated health and well-being services for clinic visitors through LifeSynch.

Worksite health clinics are not a new concept, but they have grown in popularity in recent years. Employer-sponsored workplace health programs have been in existence for some time with the concept actually dating back to the 1930s and 1940s, and initially (read: pre-2000) focused mainly on occupational and health safety. Today, however, the model is much more robust, and it has proven to not only curb healthcare costs for employers and increase employee productivity, but also improve medication compliance and adherence -- two of the biggest drags on healthcare costs and patient incomes in America, today.

CVS Caremark has been very vocal about its goal of reducing healthcare costs and improving patient outcomes, in large part through improved medication adherence, so it comes as no surprise that chronic illness management is a key focus of the expanded partnership.

For example, research by CVS Caremark has underscored the importance of adherence to diabetes medication showing that for every $1 spent on medication for the treatment of diabetes, $7 is saved in disease-related costs.