CCA launches National Convenient Care Clinic Week this August
NEW YORK The Convenient Care Association has announced the creation of National Convenient Care Clinic Week, Aug. 2 to 6, which will be held in conjunction with The Drug Store News Group/Retail Clinician magazine's annual Retail Clinician Education Congress.
"We are very excited to launch Convenient Care Week. Convenient care clinics and their providers are part of the solution to ensure that all Americans have access to quality primary care when and where they need it at a price they can afford," stated Tine Hansen-Turton, executive director of the CCA.
NCCCW is designed to celebrate the role of retail-based clinics and practitioners in complementing traditional medical service providers in delivering care to patients, and to promote its expanding scope of service under recent health reform.
"We know that convenient care clinics can help meet increased demand by providing easy access to basic healthcare services. Already, according to the Rand study released in September 2009, nearly one-third of Americans live within about a 10-minute drive of a retail-based clinic, and that number will only grow in the future as new clinics open," stated Lisa Loscalzo, president of the CCA and president of The Little Clinic.
The first convenient care clinic opened in 2000 and today that number stands at an estimated 1,200 clinics across the country that have served more than 15 million patients.
The Retail Clinician Education Congress, which will serve as the backdrop for NCCCW, is the only educational event focused on retail-based practitioners and their specific needs. The event will be held in Orlando, Fla., from Aug. 2 to 4. Presented by Retail Clinician, in association with The Drug Store News Group and the CCA, RCEC brings together retail clinicians from across the country to fine-tune their skills while earning CE/CME credits and learning about the latest products and services the industry has to offer.
"We're seeing an uptick in providing services for chronic care disease management for conditions like diabetes and hypertension," stated Wayne Bennett, publisher of The Drug Store News Group. "With high-quality, cost-effective and accessible health care provided by these clinics both in the retail and worksite locations, convenient care clinics are well positioned to take a more prominent role as more Americans receive access to health care, and help payers lower cost and improve patient outcomes."
Added John Kenlon, VP and group publisher of The Drug Store News Group, "Any solution to our healthcare challenges has to address cost, convenience and quality -- convenient care clinics meet all of these challenges head-on. Clinics provide an easy-to-understand menu of services and prices, thousands of retail locations -- with many more to be added -- and high-quality care delivered by medical professionals who are trained and experienced in diagnosing common illnesses."