MinuteClinic Reaches 200 Clinic Milestone with Opening of New Hartford Location

MINNEAPOLIS, July 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing on a path of national growth, MinuteClinic, the pioneer and largest provider of retail health care in the United States, has surpassed the 200 clinic mark with a new center opening last week in Hartford, Conn. MinuteClinic's goal of placing high- quality treatment of common family illnesses in the pathway of consumers is helping to meet the public demand for a more patient-centric approach to health care.

"We're delighted with the continued expansion of MinuteClinic and with the enthusiastic response of health care consumers to this expansion in access to quality health care for common ailments," said Michael Howe, MinuteClinic CEO. "We're bringing innovation and change to the marketplace and consumers who are looking for more accessible and convenient options are responding to our approach to quality care."

MinuteClinic has plans to enter all markets where CVS/pharmacy stores are located. "By the end of 2007," said Howe, "we expect to have more than 400 MinuteClinic locations and longer term, based on consumer demand, we expect to have MinuteClinics in over 2,500 CVS/pharmacy locations."

MinuteClinic has also distinguished itself as the first and only retail clinic provider to achieve accreditation from The Joint Commission, the national evaluation and certifying agency for nearly 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States.

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, treat and write prescriptions (when clinically appropriate) for common family 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. The clinics are also supported by physicians who collaborate with the practitioners to assure the highest quality of care.

Every MinuteClinic patient assessment and treatment follows nationally established clinical practice guidelines from the American Academy of family Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics that are embedded in MinuteClinic's electronic medical records system.

MinuteClinic nurse practitioners make it a point to stress the importance of a regular medical exam with every patient they see. If a patient doesn't have a primary care physician, MinuteClinic will provide a list of physicians in the area who are accepting new patients. MinuteClinic will also provide a record of the visit to a patient's primary care provider (so long as the patient consents) to facilitate continuity of care.

MinuteClinic health care centers are located in 20 states in the following metropolitan areas: Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Hartford, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Knoxville, Las Vegas, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, New York City, Northern New Jersey, Orlando, Phoenix, Providence, Raleigh-Durham, Seattle,

Southern Connecticut, South Florida, Winston-Salem and the Maryland suburbs of the nation's capital.