MinuteClinic Signs Clinical Collaboration With Virtua For Clinic Locations In South Jersey

WOONSOCKET, R.I. and MARLTON, N.J., Nov. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- MinuteClinic, the retail health care division of CVS Caremark (NYSE:CVS), and Virtua, South Jersey's largest health care provider with a clinical staff of more than 1,800 physicians, have entered into a clinical collaboration to enhance access to high quality, affordable health care services in three counties in the region.

Under the agreement, Virtua physicians will serve as medical directors for five MinuteClinic walk-in medical clinics open seven days a week inside select CVS/pharmacy stores in Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties.  In addition, MinuteClinic and Virtua will collaborate on patient education and disease management initiatives and will inform patients of the services each offer.

Virtua will accept patients who need a level of care that is not provided among MinuteClinic services. Signage at MinuteClinic locations will inform patients that each site has a clinical affiliation with Virtua.

"Virtua's reputation for clinical excellence and its proven track record for patient satisfaction were important factors in our decision to affiliate," said Andrew Sussman, M.D., President, MinuteClinic and Senior Vice President/Associate Chief Medical Officer, CVS Caremark.  "We look forward to having Virtua physicians collaborate with MinuteClinic practitioners to provide quality oversight, teaching and back-up so MinuteClinic can provide the best care at the lowest overall cost."

MinuteClinic medical clinics are staffed by nurse practitioners who provide treatment for common family illnesses and administer wellness and prevention services, including health condition monitoring.

"Virtua is committed to health and wellness and to providing easy access to quality health care," said Dr. Jim Dwyer, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Virtua. "This partnership enables us to achieve our mission of helping people be well, get well and stay well. Partnering with a quality organization like MinuteClinic makes it easier for people to fulfill their healthcare needs."

MinuteClinic and Virtua will begin to work toward fully integrating electronic medical record systems to streamline communication around all aspects of each individual's care. With patient permission, MinuteClinic will electronically share medical histories and visit summaries with other Virtua locations.  In the meantime, MinuteClinic will continue its standard practice of sending patient visit summaries to primary care providers via fax or mail, typically within 24 hours, with patient consent.

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