CVS Health expands primary care access for Aetna members via MinuteClinics
MinuteClinics are extending their reach in Texas and Georgia, with more expansion planned.
Last week, CVS Health announced it now offers in-network primary care to Aetna members in limited major markets via its MinuteClinics, which provides walk-in clinic services in about 1,100 CVS retail outlets. The Texas markets of Houston and San Antonio, along with the greater Atlanta area, are the first, with plans to expand markets and the number of payors in the future.
“This is a time of unprecedented change in how people access and receive health care,” Creagh Milford, retail health president of CVS Health, told Drug Store News. “The focus on reducing costs and improving outcomes, changing consumer expectations, and advances in technology are creating the necessary conditions for innovation and disruption.”
“This is all about changing the patients’ perceptions from cough, cold, flu, and immunizations to a longitudinal relationship-based model,” he added, speaking with Fierce Healthcare. “We’re making great progress in the clinics that we’ve launched in select markets so far.”
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According to CVS.com, MinuteClinic services include diagnosing, treating, and writing prescriptions; providing common vaccinations; treating minor wounds, abrasions, joint sprains, and skin conditions; a wide range of wellness services; and routine lab testing with instant results. Most services are available for patients ages 18 months and older, and clinics are staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants. The clinics serve more than five million patients per year.
“CVS Health recognizes there is an access problem in the U.S. for primary care,” Milford told Drug Store News. “Many of the patients we see at MinuteClinic either don’t have a primary care provider or have not seen one in years. This can lead to increased ER and urgent care utilization, as well as gaps in addressing preventive care for our communities.”
CVS Health’s move comes at a time when other leading pharmacies either have closed their in-store health clinics (Walmart) or are considering getting out of the primary care business (Walgreens).
“MinuteClinics, I think, give us the right to win in this space , create an easy model for people to access when and where they want to access healthcare,” Milford told Fierce Healthcare.