Retail Clinics

ALEXANDRIA, Va. Reps. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Mike Rogers, R-Mich, have introduced the Medicare Access to Diabetes Supplies Act, a bill that exempts small pharmacies from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ final competitive bidding program for Medicare Part B durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies.

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. With a solid team in place and the strong support of parent company Walgreens, Peter Miller, Take Care Health Systems co-founder, president and CEO, once again is letting his entrepreneurial spirit fly and is preparing to embark on a new journey. Drug Store News has learned that Miller will be leaving Take Care Health Systems at the end of May to pursue a new entrepreneurial venture.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Solantic walk-in urgent care has launched a mobile phone Web site that can be accessed by any mobile phone device that has Web-browsing capability.

PITTSBURGH In light of a new survey that shows families may not be properly addressing their oral healthcare needs, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare is launching a first-of-its-kind online resource for people seeking oral health education and personalized oral care plans for each family member.

By visiting WealthOfOralHealth.com and completing a brief survey, consumers can immediately receive a customized plan for each family member, addressing important conditions ranging from bad breath, cavities, acid erosion and sensitive teeth.

WASHINGTON Despite widespread media coverage on healthcare reform, political debates and legislative initiatives over the past year, many consumers still do not understand how the healthcare system works, according to the 3rd Annual Deloitte Center for Health Solutions Survey of Health Care Consumers.

The survey also found that, despite suffering from chronic conditions and often not participating in a wellness program, many consumers still perceive themselves as healthy -- a problem that will continue to challenge the healthcare system.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. As CVS Caremark's MinuteClinic passes the milestone of its first decade of delivering convenient access to quality care, and with the nation facing a historic expansion of the market for primary health care, MinuteClinic locations are poised to help primary care physicians handle the influx of 32 million citizens who will gain access to health insurance beginning in 2014, said Troyen Brennan, CVS Caremark chief medical officer, speaking at a Health Affairs Reinventing Primary Care conference on Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

BETHESDA, Md. Latinos have higher rates of developing visual impairment, blindness, diabetic eye disease and cataracts than non-Hispanic whites, researchers that were part of the "Los Angeles Latino Eye Study" have found. According to a press release issued by the National Eye Institute on Saturday, these are the first estimates of visual impairment and eye disease development in Latinos.

NEW ORLEANS Researchers at the Mayo Clinic may have found a link between colorectal cancer and diabetes in older women.

The findings, which are being presented at the American Gastroenterological Association's annual meeting, Digestive Disease Week 2010, examined data from 37,695 participants of the Iowa Women’s Health Study, which enrolled women ages 55 to 69 years in 1986 and remains ongoing. Of these women, 2,361 reported a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes and 1,200 developed colorectal cancer.