MinuteClinic Becomes Participating Provider with Great-West Healthcare

MINNEAPOLIS, June 8 /PRNewswire/ -- MinuteClinic, the pioneer and largest provider of retail health care in the United States, announced today that it has become a participating provider with Great-West Healthcare, a national employee benefits provider.

When visiting a MinuteClinic health care center, members enrolled in all Great-West Healthcare health plans will receive in-network health care services. Great-West Healthcare provides a health plan network to 2.2 million members nationwide.

Great-West Healthcare members can visit a MinuteClinic health care center in the following markets: Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Hartford, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, Northern New Jersey, the New York City metropolitan area, Orlando, Phoenix, Raleigh/Durham, Seattle, South Florida, Southern Connecticut, and the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C.

More than 45 insurance providers extend coverage to patients who visit MinuteClinic health care centers.

MinuteClinic health care centers are staffed by masters-prepared, board- certified nurse practitioners and physician assistants who specialize in family health care and are trained to diagnose and treat patients for common illnesses such as strep throat and ear, eye, sinus, bladder and bronchial infections. MinuteClinic also offers common vaccinations, such as influenza, tetanus, MMR, and Hepatitis A & B. Practitioners work in collaboration with physicians and may prescribe medication when it is part of the treatment plan.

MinuteClinic health care centers are open seven days a week, no appointment needs to be made in advance and visits typically take 10-15 minutes.

MinuteClinic practitioners utilize nationally recognized medical protocols to diagnose and treat health conditions. With the patient's consent, treatment information is shared with his or her primary care physician to facilitate continuity of care.

"Our goal is to integrate simple health care solutions into consumers' lifestyles," said Michael C. Howe, MinuteClinic chief executive officer. "By offering quality and convenient treatment that is covered by companies such as Great-West Healthcare, we are helping to reduce costs and the time patients spend away from their families and the workplace."

 About Great-West Healthcare

Great-West Healthcare, a division of Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company, is a national employee benefits provider with expertise in self- funding and health care management solutions. Nationally, the division operates a health care network that includes 4,275 hospitals and 578,000 providers and provides health care services to 2.2 million people. Visit http://www.greatwesthealthcare.com for more information.