Report: Take Care Health Systems seeks joint ventures with hospitals

NEW YORK In an effort to further expand its retail-based clinic business, Walgreens' Take Care Health Systems reportedly is considering financial joint ventures with hospitals, according to a Dow Jones Newswires report.

"We're getting a lot of interest from hospital systems," Take Care Health Systems CEO Peter Miller told Down Jones Newswires in an interview.

Miller declined to elaborate but said such partnerships could take the form of joint ventures, franchises or other business models where hospitals may assume some of the risk associated with a retail-based clinic.

Miller was quoted as saying that the pacts would have to create a "winning" situation for both parties and that such potential deals would help its Take Care Clinics expand from the existing 359 locations in 19 states.

Meanwhile, Andrew Sussman, president of MinuteClinic, told Dow Jones Newswires that, while it is interested in expanding its electronic record sharing and other patient-care activities with more hospitals, it isn't interested in financial partnerships with hospitals systems for its clinics.

Walmart, which currently has 74 independently operated in-store clinics, noted that it has been contacted by more than 400 hospitals and health systems nationwide and is currently in talks with "dozens" of operators, Dow Jones Newswires reported.