MinuteClinic surpasses 10 millionth patient visit mark

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — MinuteClinic has surpassed 10 million patient visits since opening its doors in 2000.

The retail clinic operator, which is owned by CVS Caremark, said that the 10 millionth patient was seen at a clinic in Quincy, Mass., one of the communities where MinuteClinic has opened new locations in the past 18 months.

CVS Caremark said that MinuteClinic, which opened its first retail-based clinic in Minneapolis more than a decade ago, is on track to open 100 new MinuteClinic locations annually for the next five years — a total of 39 new clinics were opened in the first half of this year.

Additionally, MinuteClinic continues to broaden its reach with clinical affiliations with various healthcare systems across the United States, including the Henry Ford Health System of Detroit, OhioHealth, Cleveland Clinic Florida and northern Virginia healthcare provider Inova Health System.

"We have accelerated our patient visit growth by developing new services and expanding our clinic footprint," said Andrew Sussman, MinuteClinic president, SVP and associate chief medical officer for CVS Caremark. "MinuteClinic was founded on the principle of providing convenient, high-quality care, and patient awareness is growing. This milestone demonstrates how innovation coupled with evidence-based treatment can make basic medical services more convenient and affordable for millions of Americans."

In related news, MinuteClinic nurse practitioner Cindy Gleeson, based in Charlotte, N.C., will receive the Retail Clinician/CCA Unsung Hero Award for clinical excellence at this year's Retail Clinician Education Congress, which is being held in Orlando, Fla., this week. Additionally, Sussman will receive the CARE Leadership Award for his contributions to the industry and his work to improve patient healthcare delivery as a member of the physician community.