MinuteClinic is a division of CVS Health that provides retail clinic services. MinuteClinic was initially started as QuickMedx by Dr. Douglas Smith and his patient Rick Krieger, along with Stephen Pontius in Minneapolis, Minnesota. MinuteClinic has more than 1,100 locations in 33 states and the District of Columbia. MinuteClinic was acquired by CVS in July 2006. MinuteClinic is the first retail health care provider to receive an accreditation from The Joint Commission.
Services and hours
MinuteClinics are staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Services offered by MinuteClinics include Vaccinations, such as influenza, tetanus-pertussis, pneumovax, and Hepatitis A & B, sports and camp physicals, Department of Transportation physicals, sexual transmitted disease testing and treatment, contraception services, smoking cessation, and TB testing. MinuteClinics are located inside CVS/pharmacy stores and some Target stores. MinuteClinics accept most insurance plans.
MinuteClinics, like other convenience care clinics, replace visits patients might otherwise have with their primary care provider, limiting the opportunities for a PCP to develop that relationship, potentially fragmenting the patient's health care. Previously, the clinics did not have the patient's medical record However, recent advances in medical records systems now allow clinicians to access records from patients’ primary clinic with their permission. In 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that parents not use retail-based clinics for their children. They updated those recommendations in 2017, to state “ The Academy recommends that physicians coordinate with urgent care and retail-based clinics, to ensure high-quality services outside the medical home.” MinuteClinics are now providing primary care, as well as management of some chronic diseases such as diabetes, pulmonary diseases, and hypertension in many states. The expansion of primary care services is in conjunction with the growing need for primary care providers across the country. MinuteClinics now provide drive-thru Covid-19 testing at select locations in concert with labs such as Quest Diagnostics. However, patients have complained of testing delays, lost specimens and poor customer service.
