Retail Clinics

HOUSTON — It’s the new year, and for many people that means setting a resolution to drop those extra pounds. In an effort to help consumers meet that goal, RediClinic is offering an introductory price for its Weigh Forward weight-loss program.

The exclusive limited-time offer gives patients access to one visit with a specially-trained clinician at RediClinic. The introductory package, priced at $99, also includes:

• Three weeks of meal plans and a selection of recipes;

• Physical exam;

Rather than take off for Christmas, the editors of Drug Store News took a look at the year ahead and the stories, issues and trends that will make headlines in retail pharmacy in 2012.

WOONSOCKET, R.I., and WORCESTER, Mass. — CVS Caremark’s MinuteClinic and UMass Memorial Health Care, the largest healthcare system in central and western Massachusetts and the clinical partner of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, have entered into a clinical collaboration to enhance access to healthcare services in central Massachusetts.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. and CHARLOTTE, N.C. — CVS Caremark’s MinuteClinic has entered a clinical affiliation with Carolinas HealthCare System, which provides medical services at more than 650 care locations in North and South Carolina. The collaboration includes 16 MinuteClinic locations in the greater Charlotte area.

This marks the first such arrangement in North Carolina for the two organizations.

PRINCETON, N.J. — For the ninth consecutive year, pharmacists ranked in the top three of Gallup’s annual "Honesty and Ethics" survey, coming in just behind nurses, who took the lead.

Pharmacists ranked second to nurses and ahead of doctors, moving up one place from last year’s survey. Among respondents, 73% rated the honesty and ethical standards of pharmacists as “very high” or “high.”

PHILADELPHIA — Bellin Health Care Systems, which established the FastCare brand of retail health clinics in 2006, is celebrating on Dec. 14 the opening of the new Einstein FastCare clinic in the ShopRite of Cheltenham, owned by Brown’s Super Stores.

Leaders of the convenient care industry and dignitaries representing the City of Philadelphia and the Cheltenham Township will convene to celebrate the opening.

Since the inception of retail-based health clinics in 2000, the concept has grown to more than 1,300 locations throughout the United States and, in more recent months, has celebrated several significant milestones that prove clinics are not only an integral part of the U.S. healthcare system but also are a viable model for retailers when handled correctly. The real question now: Are we on the brink of clinics version 2.0?


CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid is responding to a flu vaccination campaign by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by lowering prices on flu vaccinations, the retail pharmacy chain said Monday.

To mark National Influenza Vaccination Week, the retailer is offering flu shots for $19.99 through Dec. 17.