MinuteClinic recognized as innovator of healthcare delivery
WOONSOCKET, R.I. — MinuteClinic, CVS Caremark's network of walk-in medical clinics, was highlighted as a breakthrough innovator in healthcare delivery by the World Economic Forum's Innovative Health Care Delivery Project.
In addition, MinuteClinic president and CVS Caremark SVP and associate chief medical officer Andrew Sussman presented MinuteClinic's approach to care at a World Economic Forum satellite session attended by healthcare experts, regulatory representatives, researchers and other innovators in Montreux, Switzerland, this week.
Sussman reported that the key elements of MinuteClinic's success include the ability to foster close patient relationships, a commitment to electronic medical records, use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, the deployment of highly trained nurse practitioners, the realization of efficiencies through co-location with CVS/pharmacy stores and the establishment of consistent network-wide operational procedures. He also described the expansion of MinuteClinic's scope of practice to include a wide variety of chronic condition-monitoring services and CVS Caremark's recently announced plan to add 100 new MinuteClinic locations each year for the next five years.
"The most important aspect of our success at MinuteClinic has been the extremely high rate of patient satisfaction achieved by the practitioners treating our patients across the MinuteClinic network every day," Sussman stated. "Patients who started out only coming to us when they got sick now may also come to us for help staying well. Our innovative approach to care is making a real difference in the lives of our patients in the United States, and it was an honor to share this experience and to have the opportunity to learn from the other healthcare innovators."
MinuteClinic's approach to making health care more accessible was identified as a model of innovation in a project conducted at the World Economic Forum, stated Olivier Raynaud, head of global health and healthcare sector. "This project reviewed more than 20 innovative healthcare delivery models from around the world to assess the success factors and potential to be transferred, replicated and scaled up," Raynaud said. "A selection of these models, which are improving access to quality, affordable care, were showcased at Montreux."