Content about Retail Clinician

WOONSOCKET, R.I. and GREENVILLE, S.C. — MinuteClinic and Greenville Hospital System — South Carolina's largest health system, with five medical campuses, outpatient and specialty centers and a large network of physician practices — have entered into a clinical affiliation to enhance access to healthcare services in upstate South Carolina.

NEW YORK — The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has announced the winners of a competition it sponsored to increase awareness and use of evidence-based healthcare tools in retail health settings, the government agency said.

ARLINGTON, Va. — A university research project to look at the potential effects on patient health of incorporating medication management strategies into existing care teams has won a grant from the National Association of Chain Drug Stores' philanthropic arm.

The NACDS Foundation said it gave the University of Nebraska Medical Center one of three research grants for the project, which will look at the effects of the strategies when they're incorporated into teams such as medical homes and accountable care organizations.

ADA, Ohio — Students at an Ohio pharmacy school are taking part in a nationwide effort to boost medication adherence.

Ohio Northern University announced that the school's chapter of the American Pharmacists Association — Academy of Student Pharmacists — had scheduled several events as part of the Medication Adherence Challenge, sponsored by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.

NEW YORK — The number of people who have died from flu in Minnesota is 75, more than double what it was last year, according to the state health department and published reports.

According to data released by the department, the third week of January — Jan. 13-19 — saw 15 people die from flu-related illness, bringing the total for the season to 75. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that 33 people died from flu last season, while 67 died during the 2009-2010 season, coinciding with the H1N1 pandemic.

Rather than take off for the holidays, the editors of Drug Store News took a look at the year ahead and the trends, issues and headlines that will makes the news in 2013.

What do you think? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, and join the discussion there, or post your comments on DrugStoreNews.com ... Or, you can pretend it’s still 1999 and email your comments to reder@lf.com. Just don’t fax us.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart and Sam's Club are introducing a new contact lens program for 2013, the retailers said Thursday.

The new program will allow customers to visit Walmart's or Sam's Club's website or call a toll-free number to place contact lens orders and have them delivered to their homes, with free shipping available for orders of more than $50. In addition, the two are offering low prices for certain Acuvue, Air Optix and Biofinity lenses, while Walmart is planning to launch its private-label Equate brand in February.

NEW YORK — The use of retail-based health clinics and worksite facilities has increased in recent years, thanks in large part to a combination of quality, accessibility and affordability, according to a new Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll.

The online survey of more than 3,000 U.S. adults, which was conducted in early December, found that 27% of all adults surveyed said they have used either walk-in retail clinics (19%) or work-based clinics (11%) to obtain medical care in the past two years. That compares with 7% in 2008.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — A patient’s social support network has been associated with improved outcomes and healthier behaviors and now new research sponsored by CVS Caremark has found that practical social support is associated with improved medication adherence.

NEW YORK — What pharmacy lobbying groups and Drug Store News have been saying for a while has reached the mainstream.

The New York Times published an editorial over the weekend recommending that the country address its shortage of primary care doctors by relying more on other healthcare actors — such as pharmacists, nurse practitioners and patients themselves — as well as physician assistants and members of the community.

WATERTOWN, Mass — AthenaHealth has announced that it is recruiting for a retail clinic/urgent care-specific director of client development.

The Enterprise division manages the largest and most dynamic clients at AthenaHealth. These clients often have multiple c-suites or senior management teams in geographically dispersed locations.  Enterprise clients are growing through acquisition and/or consolidation strategies and are usually leading change in the industry and are considered thought leaders.

HOUSTON — RediClinic — which currently operates 30 clinics inside H-E-B grocery stores in Houston, Austin and San Antonio, Texas — is encouraging patients to get healthy and lose weight by enrolling in its Weigh Forward weight management program.

The clinic operator has kicked off a promotion whereby patients will receive a $100 H-E-B gift card when they enroll in the 10-week weight management program. The offer ends Dec. 31, 2012.

Weigh Forward was developed in partnership with weight-loss expert David Katz and launched in May 2011.