CVS Opens In-Store Health Care Centers in Dallas-Fort Worth

CVS customers in Dallas - Fort Worth have a new option when getting care for illnesses and needed vaccinations. MinuteClinic, a subsidiary of CVS Caremark, has opened nine centers staffed with nurse practitioners specializing in family health care. Most services cost only $59 (less with health insurance co-pay) no appointment is necessary. The diagnosing staff has at least Master's level medical training and can treat and give prescriptions for common illnesses. Some of the common vaccinations that are available are influenza, tetanus, MMR, and Hepatitis A & B.

Most examinations truly take only minutes, with 10-15 minute exam times being average. This gives working professionals and busy families, who must often choose between getting care and loss of time on the job, a needed solution. The in-store clinics are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Patients age 18 months and up are accepted.

Of the nine Dallas area locations, eight are located in suburban areas, where extended hours clinics are usually lacking. MinuteClinic plans to open up to 11 more locations by the end of the year. The following locations are the first CVS pharmacies to get the in-store health centers in Dallas-Fort Worth:

Allen, 1540 E. Main St. Dallas-Westchester, 8335 Westchester Dr., Suite 140
Flower Mound, 1100 Flower Mound Rd. Frisco, 5401 Lebanon Road
Garland, 5702 Lavon Dr.
Keller, 801 N. Tarrant Pkwy.
Little Elm, 2591 FM-423
McKinney, 2100 El Dorado Parkway
Plano-Spring Creek, 2101 W. Spring Creek Parkway

Several Dallas-For Worth area health insurance plans have MinuteClinic in-network, with more plans picking up the health care center after September 15. Patients paying cash can expect fees to range from $49 - $80 for each condition treated, although lab work may be extra. Some of the unique services provided are in-store pregnancy testing ($49), wart removal ($69), and minor sunburn treatment ($59).

In today's announcement from MinuteClinic, Chris Bodine, executive president of CVS, talks about the importance of offering such services. "MinuteClinic offers customers convenient, high quality health care services and is a natural extension of our mission to improve the lives of those we serve by making innovative and high-quality health and pharmacy services safe, affordable and easy to access," said Bodine.

Patient assessment and treatment follows nationally established clinical practice guidelines. At the end of their visit, patients receive educational material, an invoice and a prescription (if needed) and an electronic diagnostic record is automatically sent to the patient's primary care physician. If the patient doesn't have a regular medical provider, the nurse practitioners stress the importance of regular care and provide a list of practices accepting new patients.

As a source for fast, affordable treatment the in-store clinic helps to keep people with non-emergency cases from seeking care at an urgent care clinic or emergency room. Misuse of those facilities often leads to longer wait times and higher costs, which further discourages the public from seeking timely care. If an individual has a condition outside of MinuteClinic's scope of practice, or shows sign of a chronic condition, they are referred to the most appropriate place, whether that's the ER or their PCP.

While MinuteClinic calls itself is a pioneer in the field, in April Wal-Mart announced plans to expand their own in-store clinic program with more than 400 new locations over the next three years. The mega-retailer also mounted an offense on traditional pharmacy services in 2006 when they announced $4 generic prescriptions. Now that CVS has MinuteClinics in over 200 locations nationwide, it will be interesting to see if increased competition means better care and value is coming for the public and their health care dollar.

Source:

Minute Clinic, An Innovation in Health Care Opens at CVS/pharmacy Stores in Dallas-Fort Worth, PR Newswire
Walmart, 400 Health Clinics to Open in Wal-Mart Stores During Next Three Years