Early findings suggest hospital partnerships with retail clinics could help hospitals lower readmission rates provided the two are directly integrated, according to a Scientific American report.
To increase the convenience factor for patients seeking follow-up care, some hospitals have partnered with clinics like Walgreen's TakeCare and CVS's Minute Clinic. The small number of retail clinics in the country is relatively small, but partnerships exist in markets including Cleveland, Atlanta and Los Angeles, according to the report.
Preliminary findings are positive: A partnership between UCLA hospitals and 11 area CVS clinics has yielded strong enough results for UCLA hospital system leadership to expand the program into three more clinics, according to the report.
The report suggests a main factor for the success of the CVS-UCLA hospital system partnership is CVS's access to the patients' electronic health records, enabling coordinated care.
Greenville Hospital System in South Carolina Forms Affiliation With MinuteClinic
CVS Caremark's MinuteClinics Blaze Trail for Other Retail Chains
To increase the convenience factor for patients seeking follow-up care, some hospitals have partnered with clinics like Walgreen's TakeCare and CVS's Minute Clinic. The small number of retail clinics in the country is relatively small, but partnerships exist in markets including Cleveland, Atlanta and Los Angeles, according to the report.
Preliminary findings are positive: A partnership between UCLA hospitals and 11 area CVS clinics has yielded strong enough results for UCLA hospital system leadership to expand the program into three more clinics, according to the report.
The report suggests a main factor for the success of the CVS-UCLA hospital system partnership is CVS's access to the patients' electronic health records, enabling coordinated care.
More Articles on Retail Clinics:
Walgreens Expands Clinic Services to Cover Chronic ConditionsGreenville Hospital System in South Carolina Forms Affiliation With MinuteClinic
CVS Caremark's MinuteClinics Blaze Trail for Other Retail Chains