NEWS - November 2008
Convenient Care Clinics
Convenient care clinics continue to open throughout the United States at a slow but steady rate (see the Feed-back.com Ezine for market information). Abstracts describing some of the new locations appear below.
Largest U.S. Convenient Care Clinic Opens In Houston
At 926 square feet, RediClinic's 15th clinic in the Greater Houston area is the largest retail / convenient care clinic operating within the United States. The extra size provides the capacity to serve more patients and/or expand services. Nurse practitioners staff the clinic, working with local physicians to diagnose and treat common medical ailments. Preventive services include immunizations, physical exams, screenings, and tests.
In other news, RediClinic was chosen by Health Net Federal Services to provide convenient care coverage to TRICARE North beneficiaries in nine locations within the Greater Richmond area (Virginia). Health Net Federal Services' members include active and retired military personnel and their families. Two RediClinic facilities are near the Fort Lee military base (a 15-minute drive). TRICARE / RediClinic Richmond-based coverage became effective November 1st.
For the original articles, visit: Bizjournals and Business Wire (respectively). For more information about RediClinic, visit: http://www.rediclinic.com
MinuteClinic Facility Opens In Westford MA
At the new MinuteClinic in the Westford Marketplace CVS/pharmacy (Massachusetts), patients can walk in for a check-up or receive care for common medical conditions such as influenza, skin problems, and strep throat. Board-certified nurse practitioners diagnose and treat patients, provide immunizations, and perform health screenings, physical exams, and tests. A physician is available on call for consultation. Educational material is included, along with the option to use the Google National Health Database for electronic medical record storage. Prescriptions are written as needed. Patients with more serious medical problems are referred to their physicians or emergency service providers.
For the original article, visit: http://www.wickedlocal.com/westford
For more information about MinuteClinic, visit: http://www.minuteclinic.com.
Take Care Health Systems Opens Office In Tennessee
Augmenting the May 2008 formation of its Health and Wellness division, Walgreens has opened an office in Franklin, Tennessee. One of its large worksite health management companies, CHD Meridian Healthcare, originally operated in Nashville, before being acquired by Walgreens. The Health and Wellness division also includes Take Care Health Systems, which operates convenient care clinics.
The Tennessee office currently houses 150 employees with the capacity to include 100 more in anticipation of further expansion within the Nashville area and beyond. There are 13 Take Care clinics in Nashville and another six in other parts of Tennessee. The new office is the largest of Take Care's support centers.
Valley-Wide Health Systems New Convenient Care Clinic
In early November, Valley-Wide Health Systems opened its Convenient Care Community Clinic in Alamosa, Colorado. The clinic was developed as an alternative to the emergency room to provide patients with accessible, affordable health care services. The facility operates seven days a week (including holidays) until 10:00 p.m. Valley-Wide Health Systems has used a combination of resources (arrangements with insurers, grant funding, etc.) to offer free or reduced-fee health care even if reimbursement is not available. Adjusting fees for uninsured patients allows them to pay a fair share while also benefitting Valley-Wide with a high collection rate for services rendered (92%).
Valley-Wide operates clinics in several Colorado locations (e.g., Alamosa, Antonio, Center, Mancos, Monte Vista, Moffat, and San Luis). For information about the Alamosa facilities, call (719) 589-3658 or (719) 587-5932.
For the original article, visit: http://www.alamosanews.com
For past news, visit the Archive.