As the largest provider of walk-in clinics in the country, we are continuously innovating to improve the patient experience and expand MinuteClinic services. Today, more than 50 percent of the U.S. population lives within ten miles of a MinuteClinic. Offering evening and weekend hours, and with most services costing less than $100 — as much as 90 percent less than urgent-care centers and hospital emergency departments — millions of patients depend on us for accessible and affordable care.
Expanding Our Reach through Virtual Care
In 2018, we took an important step forward to reach more people with the expert care provided by MinuteClinic. In partnership with telehealth leader Teladoc, we introduced our MinuteClinic Virtual Care platform to provide patients with quality, convenient care via a mobile app or desktop computer.
The service connects patients, ages 2 years and up, to certified health care providers through video-enabled consults to address minor illnesses, injuries and skin conditions. Consults are $59, less than the average in-person doctor visit, and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Based on the initial consult, a Video Visit may lead to a subsequent in-person appointment. Unlike most telehealth providers, MinuteClinic can connect patients to a store location, seamlessly extending services within the same system.
By the end of 2018, the MinuteClinic Virtual Care program was available in 18 states and the District of Columbia. We plan to implement the program in every state where telehealth is permitted, and the services will be covered through insurance later this year.
Ensuring Care for Our Veterans
The comprehensive health care services provided by MinuteClinic positions CVS Health to make a meaningful difference in the lives of America’s 19-million veterans. To provide our nation’s heroes with the high-quality, convenient care they deserve, we have invested in a strategic partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) since 2016.
Through the CVS Health-Veterans Administration program, veterans can contact a VA-run triage help line and, when clinically appropriate, have the option to receive care at participating MinuteClinic locations. Additionally, MinuteClinic is able to make the full record of medical services provided available to the VA following the visit. These programs have served more than 3,500 veterans over the last three years.
In 2017, we set a new Corporate Social Responsibility performance target to form partnerships with five VA health care systems by 2022. In 2018, we built upon our footprint of Phoenix, Arizona, and Northern California, launching pilots in Santa Clarita, California, and Corpus Christi, Texas. We were also proud to support the enactment of the VA Mission Act, which enhances veteran access to community care through the VA.
Responding to Community Health Care Needs
We are constantly expanding MinuteClinic offerings to address the specific health care needs of all the communities we serve.
In 2018, we:
Increased focus on prevention and management of chronic care, including diabetic retinopathy to prevent disease progression among customers who have diabetes. We also expanded abilities for more in-clinic tests to support the management of chronic disease and medication adherence.
Identified 66 MinuteClinic locations near universities and colleges where we will expand services to deliver high quality care to college-aged adults, including expanded sexual and women’s health services and age-appropriate screenings and counseling services.
Piloted Flublok®, a new influenza vaccine that does not use eggs, antibiotics or live influenza virus, at 100 MinuteClinic locations. We administered an estimated 4,000 Flublok shots to patients.
Expanded our efforts to administer the mainstream flu shot to children, reaching nearly 13,000 toddlers aged 18 to 35 months.
Shared vaccination information with 16 state immunization registries to advance public health.
To learn more about the ways we’re positively impacting the communities we serve, through MinuteClinic and beyond, read our 2018 Corporate Social Responsibility Report.