Fitting in an appointment at the doctor?s office ? even when you?re sick ? is no easy feat for busy professionals.
But with the opening of two new MinuteClinics at CVS stores in the Baltimore metropolitan area, patients can get the treatment they need on their schedule.
“It integrates simple health care solutions to the lifestyle of our consumers,” said Michael Howe, MinuteClinic?s president and chief executive officer. “Our consumer response has been great. When we survey our patients, we ask them to rate us on a five-point scale. Ninety-seven percent rated us as excellent and 99.8 [percent] said they would refer friends and family.”
The clinics are in Bel-Air at the CVS pharmacy on Churchville Avenue and in Towson at the CVS pharmacy on York Road. The company plans to open four additional Baltimore-area locations later this month.
Each MinuteClinic is staffed by certified family nurse practitioners who are trained to diagnose, treat and write prescriptions for a variety of common illnesses such as strep throat and ear, eye, sinus, bladder and bronchial infections. The clinics also offer common vaccinations such as flu shots, tetanus, MMR and hepatitis A and B.
Visits to MinuteClinics generally take between 10 and 15 minutes, and no appointments are necessary. Hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Each of the new clinics features two exam rooms to minimize customer waiting.
A CVS spokeswoman said the chain has partnered with MinuteClinic since 2000 and plans to keep adding clinics in its stores.
“The reason we chose to have them in our stores is we strive to be the easiest retail pharmacy for customers to use, and this just adds another element of convenience for our customers,” said Erin Pensa, a spokeswoman for CVS Corp.
Howe said that as MinuteClinic continues to add new locations, physicians increasingly have been referring patients to the clinic when their schedules are full. Insurance companies have also responded favorably, he said, as it costs about 15 percent less to visit MinuteClinics than to go to an emergency room and about 50 percent less than visiting a physician?s office.
Prices for treatments vary but generally cost about $49 or an insurance co-pay. The company is working with large insurance carriers in the state to become a participating provider in their networks. For patients who are members of Aetna, Beechstreet, BlueCross BlueShield, CareFirst, CBSA, CIGNA Healthcare, Johns Hopkins Employer Health Programs, Medicare of Maryland, NCAS, Tri-Care Standard or United Healthcare, MinuteClinic will accept as payment the office visit co-pay indicated on insurance cards.
MinuteClinics only treat patients 18 months and older, and those who can?t be treated are not charged for their visit. Patients who exhibit signs of a serious or chronic condition are referred to physicians or the nearest urgent care facility or emergency room.
Coming soon
» Later this month, four additional MinuteClinics will open in the Baltimore area. They will be located in CVS pharmacies at 1000 Taylor Ave. in Baltimore, 5603 Baltimore National Pike in Catonsville, 6480 Old Waterloo Road in Elkridge and 8124 Veterans Highway in Millersville.
