CVS looks to bring MinuteClinics to Boston area
Patient Safety Monitor Alert
December 19, 2007
The retail clinic trend sweeping the nation may come next to the Boston area, reports The Boston Globe. The CVS chain has requested approval by the Massachusetts health board to open 20 to 30 clinics in the area. Nationally more than 400 of such clinics already exist. These clinics offer patients a 20- to 30- minute visit with a nurse practitioner or physician's assistant. They will diagnose a list of about 20 common conditions.The appeal of the MinuteClinic is that patients do not need to make an appointment that may take hours in driving, waiting, and actual exam time, with their primary care physician. The clinics in MA would charge $59 a visit and are in talks with major insurance companies. However, state public health officials are reading the proposal with care. Their fear is that patients will not visit their primary care physicians when it is actually necessary, and serious health issues may be missed.
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