Retail Clinics

PHILADELPHIA — More health insurers are credentialing nurse practitioners as primary care providers, but there is room for improvement, according to a recent national survey of health insurers.

The survey of health insurers, specifically Health Maintenance Organizations — conducted by the National Nursing Centers Consortium, a support organization for nurse-led care — found that 75% of HMOs credential with nurse practitioners as primary care providers, an increase over previous years.

NEW YORK — A new Rand study examining the impact of retail medical clinics on the receipt of primary medical care found mixed evidence about whether the clinics may disrupt doctor-patient relationships.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark’s MinuteClinic has opened three walk-in clinics inside CVS/pharmacy stores in the Asheville, N.C. area, and three additional locations are expected to open by year-end.

The new clinics are located in Arden, Asheville and Hendersonville. Three additional clinics are expected to open by the end of the year in Asheville, Brevard and Waynesville.

ATLANTA — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has updated its recommendations for pneumococcal vaccine in high-risk adults.

ACIP now recommends the use of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13; Prevnar 13) for high-risk adults ages 19 years or older. The committee recommends that PCV13 should be administered to eligible adults in addition to the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23; Pneumovax 23), the vaccine currently recommended for these groups of adults.

HOUSTON — Retail-based clinic operator RediClinic recently hit a milestone as it served its one-millionth patient in August.

“This would not have been possible without the support of our loyal patients, who have embraced our unique model of high-quality, convenient and affordable healthcare," stated RediClinic CEO Web Golinkin in a letter recently emailed patients.

To celebrate the milestone, the email features coupons with 15% off a B-12 shot, $15 dollars off a travel healthy visit and a free body mass index reading.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — More than half of consumers say they do not plan to get a flu shot this season, according to a recent survey conducted by CVS/pharmacy.

WOONSOCKET, R.I., and MORRISTOWN, N.J. — CVS Caremark’s MinuteClinic has formed a clinical affiliation with Atlantic Health System, one of the largest nonprofit healthcare systems in New Jersey — comprised of Morristown Medical Center, Goryeb Children's Hospital, Overlook Medical Center in Summit, N.J., and Newton Medical Center — to enhance access to healthcare services in northern and central New Jersey.

NEW YORK — An article recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shed a highly positive light on the convenient care industry, and outlined significant ways in which retail-based clinics are playing an important role in today’s U.S. healthcare system by improving access, cost and coordination of care for patients.