CVS and Walgreens Adding Services to Retail Clinics

As competition heats up for healthcare, the retail clinics have also increased their services. Most are staffed by a nurse practitioner and the clinics post what they offer as far as services and the cost. Now it appears you can have a mole removed too. If you visit the sites, the new services are highlighted.

In Columbus, Ohio additional services for asthma are available. At the CVS Clinics, all the records can be send to your HealthVault or Google Health account. Just this week Walgreens announced their affiliation coming soon with HealthVault. If you look at the related reading section, there are posts with both CEOs from each company talking about the recession and their plans to survive as prescription business has either lowered or the profit levels have decreased. Perhaps some of the clinics would think about “drive through” services next? (grin). I make mention in jest with all the changes we are seeing today, so who really knows what the next move could be. BD

Amid the economic downturn and slow growth for retail and outpatient medical care services, pharmacy giants Walgreen Co. and CVS Caremark Corp. are rolling out new specialized services at their in-store clinics, going beyond treatment of routine maladies.
Launched over the last four years to care for such simple ailments as ear and sinus infections, strep throat or pink eye, retail clinic operators now are training nurses to do specialized injections for such chronic conditions as osteoporosis and asthma.
In addition, they are offering treatments for advanced skin conditions that include removal of warts and skin tags or closing minor wounds. Care for minor "sprains and strains" also is being offered at some retailers, and pilot projects are underway for breathing treatments and special infusions of drugs derived from biotechnology.

MinuteClinic said this spring that it had added treatments for sprains, acne, wound care, motion sickness and testing for tuberculosis. In Columbus, Ohio, CVS' MinuteClinics are piloting a program to provide asthma patients with nebulizer breathing treatments.