• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Take Care Health Systems(SM) and Walgreens Open 10 New 'Health Corner Clinics' in Metro Kansas City; Clinics Will Continue to Accept the Majority of Insurance Plans in the Market, Including All Medicaid Plans

Posted on: Wednesday, 19 July 2006, 12:00 CDT

Take Care Health, a leading operator of retail-based health care, announced today that it has opened 10 Health Corner Clinics in the Kansas City metro area inside Walgreens (NYSE, NASDAQ: WAG), the nation's largest drugstore chain.

Take Care Health and Walgreens forecast expansion in Kansas City within the first quarter of 2007. Take Care Health previously operated nine centers in Kansas City Osco Drug stores.

Take Care Health's President and CEO Peter Miller commented, "We are thrilled to partner with Walgreens to open 10 new clinics to the Greater Kansas City community, offering quality health care at an affordable price." Miller continued, "After seven successful months in Kansas City and over 15,000 patients seen, we are convinced the market values and understands our services, and we are more committed than ever to bringing access to health care to all residents. To that end, we could easily see adding a number of new clinics on top of these 10 early next year."

The new Health Corner Clinics are open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and are located directly across from the pharmacy, inside 10 Kansas City Walgreens locations. No appointments are necessary.

Missouri: Kansas: --------- ------- -- 401 NE Barry Rd., Kansas City -- 7500 Metcalf Ave., -- 2630 NE Vivion Rd., Overland Park Kansas City -- 15100 W. 87th St., Lenexa -- 3845 Broadway Blvd., -- 8450 151st St., Overland Park Kansas City -- 9300 E. Gregory Blvd., Raytown -- 3915 S. Noland Rd., Independence -- 1801 E. Langsford Rd., Lee's Summit -- 1400 E. North Ave., Belton

Health Corner Clinics are professional family health care clinics, and are operated locally by Take Care Health Kansas, P.A. in Kansas and Take Care Health Missouri, P.C. in Missouri. Take Care Health's family nurse practitioners diagnose, treat, and write commonly used prescriptions for standard family illnesses in each clinic.

Take Care Health treats patients 18 months and older, and services include treatment for strep throat; ear, sinus, upper respiratory and bladder infections; pink eye; poison ivy; season allergies; and other ailments. Take Care Nurse Practitioners (TCNPs) perform standard diagnostic screenings for blood pressure, blood sugar, PPD/Tuberculosis and pregnancy. Vaccines, including those for Flu, Meningitis, and Tetanus and Hepatitis B (both for patients 11 years and older) will be available in early August.

TCNPs operate through a team-based approach with the Kansas City medical community to maintain optimal referral networks and integration of patient care. TCNPs utilize an electronic medical record system, providing printed copies of the visit record to the patient, and faxing or communicating with the patient's primary care provider upon request. In addition, the TCNPs use evidence-based protocols and guidelines, developed from organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians created specifically for Take Care Health's context and setting. TCNPs refer patients back to their primary care provider, and they help patients find such a provider if they need one. TCNPs have access to physicians and other health care specialists, and collaboration and supervision relationships are consistent with state regulations.

Health Corner Clinics accept most commercial insurance plans, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City, as well as Medicare and Medicaid plans. Additional insurance plans will be added later this summer, as further contracts are currently being finalized. For insured patients the cost of a visit is generally the same as their office visit co-pay. For uninsured patients, the average fee for service ranges from $59-$74 per visit.

Insurance Plans Covering a Visit to Health Corner Clinics in Kansas City: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas Also accepted: City: -- Medicare Traditional/Part B -- Traditional -- Kansas and Missouri Medicaid -- Blue-Advantage -- Freedom Network -- Blue-Advantage Plus -- Freedom Network Select -- Blue-Care -- BCBS Blue Card -- Preferred-Care -- BCBS Federal Employee Program -- Preferred-Care Blue -- Children's Mercy Family Health Partners -- FirstGuard Health Plan -- HealthCare USA

About the Kansas City Marketplace

TCNPs have treated over 15,000 patients since opening in Kansas City in November 2005, with 98 percent of patients stating they would definitely or probably recommend Take Care Health to a family or friend, according to a Take Care Health patient survey one week after a visit. Patients state a variety of reasons for visiting one of the clinics, including: the high level of convenience; their doctor's office was closed or they couldn't get an appointment; or they are uninsured and/or don't have a regular doctor.

In a general market study Take Care Health conducted through a third-party research company, Kansas City proved to be a city familiar with the concept of retail-based health care, with 50 percent of respondents stating they had heard of the concept. Similarly, respondents were also acquainted with nurse practitioners: 95 percent of respondents had "heard of" an NP and 58 percent had "seen an NP."

"We are thrilled with the reception the Kansas City community has given our centers, and in particular, the strong connection our patients have made with our nurse practitioners -- the heart of our quality patient care and best-in-class patient experience," said Nancy Zaner, Lead Nurse Practitioner for the Kansas City market. "We are committed to providing health care that is in the best interest of our patients, and we believe our new clinics inside Walgreens stores offer a high quality, convenient and affordable option, in addition to providing an entry point for our patients into the health care system."

To date, Take Care Health operates 17 centers in Portland, Ore. and the Greater Kansas City area. Take Care will open nine centers later this summer in St. Louis Walgreens stores, and will also expand within the Midwest and on the East Coast later this year. Take Care plans to open 200 centers by June 2007 and 1,400 centers in U.S. cities by 2009.

About Take Care Health Systems

Take Care Health Systems (www.takecarehealth.com) of Conshohocken, Pa., a leading independent operator of retail-based health care, is bringing high-quality, convenient and affordable health care to all Americans. Take Care Health's vision to combine best practices in medicine and the expertise and personal care of Take Care Nurse Practitioners (TCNPs) with world-class customer service is filling a critical need in America by providing easy access to health care. Take Care Health Centers are located inside national retail pharmacies, including Walgreens and Rite Aid, where TCNPs focus exclusively on diagnosis, treatment, screening and vaccinations for common family illnesses. Take Care Health collaborates with the medical communities in the markets where it operates and strongly supports the guidelines for retail health care clinics, set forth by the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).

About Walgreens

Walgreen Co. (NYSE, NASDAQ: WAG) is the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2005 sales of $42.2 billion. The company operates 5,294 stores in 46 states and Puerto Rico. Walgreens also provides additional services to pharmacy patients and prescription drug and medical plans through Walgreens Health Services, its managed care division, which includes Walgreens Health Initiatives Inc. (a pharmacy benefits manager), Walgreens Mail Service Inc., Walgreens Home Care Inc. and Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy.

Source: Business Wire

More News in this Category