National Health Chain Adds CT To Video Doctor Visit Offerings

SOUTH WINDSOR, CT — Video doctor visits? A national health chain thinks it's a good idea and has instituted the practice in Connecticut.

CVS Health on Wednesday announced that MinuteClinic, the company’s retail medical clinic, has rolled out its "virtual visit" offering in eight additional states.

People with "minor illnesses and injuries, skin conditions and other wellness needs" can now seek care through MinuteClinic Video Visits, a telehealth offering now available in Connecticut.

Other states getting it are Arkansas, Hawaii, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.
MinuteClinic Video Visits are designed to provide patients with access to care 24 hours a day, seven days a week from their mobile devices or computers, according to CVS officials.

"We’re excited to continue to expand the availability of MinuteClinic Video Visits across eight additional states as we continue to build our national practice for this service," said Sharon Vitti, the president of MinuteClinic. "The expansion of this MinuteClinic service enables us to provide even more people with access to an innovative, on-demand health care option and demonstrates our commitment to delivering high-quality care when and where our patients need it, at prices they can afford."

A CVS Health study found that 95 percent of patients who opted to receive a telehealth visit during the pilot phase of the program, were "highly satisfied" with the "quality" of care they received.

In the same study, 95 percent of patients were also satisfied with the convenience of using the telehealth service and the "overall telehealth experience."

Since MinuteClinic Video Visits launched in August 2018, thousands of Video Visits have been conducted in 18 states and Washington DC, with more than half taking place outside of traditional clinic hours, CVS officials said.

CVS is working with global virtual are offerer Teladoc on the project.

Officials said video visits can be used to provide care for patients ages 2 and older who are seeking treatment for a minor illness, minor injury, or a skin condition. Each patient will complete a health questionnaire and be matched to a board-certified health care provider licensed in the respective state, who will review the completed questionnaire with the patient’s medical history, and proceed with the video-enabled visit.

During a MinuteClinic Video Visit, the provider will assess the patient’s condition and determine the appropriate course of treatment following evidence-based clinical care guidelines, officials said.

For patients who require a prescription as part of their treatment plan, the provider will submit the prescription to the patient’s preferred pharmacy, officials said. If it is determined the patient should be seen in person for follow-up care or testing, the provider will recommend that the patient visit a health care provider.

A MinuteClinic Video Visit costs $59, which is currently payable by credit, debit, FSA and HSA cards.

Insurance coverage will be added to the experience in the coming months, officials said.

The service is now available in a total of 26 states — Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Wyoming as well as in Washington D.C.

Information about initiating a MinuteClinic Video Visit is part of the clinic locator on the MinuteClinic web site for states where the service is available. A patient can also initiate a MinuteClinic Video Visit directly from the CVS Pharmacy app.