MinuteClinic, OhioHealth enter affiliation to enhance high quality care services

MinuteClinic, the retail health care division of CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS), and OhioHealth, a nationally recognized not-for-profit, charitable health care organization based in Columbus, Ohio, have entered into a clinical affiliation that will enhance the high quality, affordable health care services they provide in central Ohio.

MinuteClinic has seven walk-in medical clinics open seven days a week inside select CVS/pharmacy stores throughout the region.  The clinics are staffed by nurse practitioners, employed by MinuteClinic, who provide treatment for common family illnesses and administer wellness and prevention services and health condition monitoring.

"Through its many hospitals and neighborhood health centers, OhioHealth has a strong primary care presence in the Columbus area and an outstanding record for clinical quality," said Andrew Sussman, MD, President, MinuteClinic and Senior Vice President/ Associate Chief Medical Officer, CVS Caremark.  "As we have experienced elsewhere in Ohio and in other communities in the U.S., strategic clinical affiliations between MinuteClinic and major health systems such as OhioHealth enhance our ability to extend high quality medical services to patients in convenient retail locations near where they live and work."

"We view this as an extension of the continuum of care we offer in our hospitals, urgent care centers, primary care offices, emergency departments and more than 20 community-based outpatient centers," said Bob Gilbert, senior operations officer, OhioHealth Neighborhood Care. "This affiliation enables OhioHealth to increase the community's access to our high-quality care and trusted team of medical professionals – providing another way to connect patients to our services."

Under the agreement, physicians affiliated with OhioHealth will serve as medical directors for MinuteClinic locations in central Ohio. In addition, MinuteClinic and OhioHealth will collaborate on patient education and disease management initiatives and will inform patients of the services provided by each organization. OhioHealth will accept patients who need a level of care that is not provided at MinuteClinic.

MinuteClinic and OhioHealth will also begin work integrating their electronic medical record systems to streamline communication around all aspects of each individual's care.  

With patient consent, MinuteClinic will share medical history and visit summaries with other OhioHealth and MinuteClinic locations in the region.  In the meantime, MinuteClinic will continue its standard practice of sending visit summaries via fax or mail to the patient's primary care physician, typically within 24 hours. This reporting is not always possible however, as not all MinuteClinic patients have a primary care physician.

"More than 50 percent of patients seen at MinuteClinic locations in Columbus do not have an established primary care relationship," said Bruce Vanderhoff, MD, senior vice president and chief medical officer, OhioHealth. "Together, OhioHealth and CVS MinuteClinic are committed to helping these patients re-engage with traditional primary care physicians."

Care at MinuteClinic is provided by nurse practitioners who specialize in family health care and are trained to diagnose, treat and write prescriptions for common family illnesses such as:

• Strep throat
• Ear, eye, sinus, bladder and bronchial infections
• Minor wounds, abrasions and joint sprains
• Common vaccinations for influenza, tetanus, pneumonia, and Hepatitis A & B are available at most locations
• Walk-in camp, sports and college physicals for adolescents

MinuteClinic also administers a series of wellness services designed to help patients identify lifestyle changes needed to improve their current and future health, including screenings and monitoring for diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol.