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Take Care Health Clinics Expand into WPB
Contributed by: Katie Leh on 4/28/2008

TAKE CARE HEALTH CLINICS OPEN AT FIVE WALGREENS IN WEST PALM BEACH

-New walk-in clinics offer patients increased access to high-quality, affordable health care-

West Palm Beach, FL. - April 28, 2008 - Take Care Health Systems, one of the largest managers of convenient care clinics and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Walgreens (NYSE, NASDAQ: WAG), has opened five Take Care Health Clinics at Walgreens drugstores in the West Palm Beach area. The clinics are walk-in, professional health care centers open seven days a week with extended evening and weekend hours. One additional clinic will open in the West Palm Beach area over the next several weeks.

West Palm Beach is the fourth Florida market with Take Care Health Clinics, joining Miami, Orlando and Tampa. Take Care Health Systems plans to have more than 400 clinics open at Walgreens drugstores by the end of 2008.

"Take Care Health Clinics have been incredibly well-received in our existing Florida markets and across the country, with more than 475,000 patients treated since November 2005 and exceedingly high patient satisfaction ratings," said Peter Miller, Take Care Health Systems' President and CEO. "Take Care Health Clinics truly fill a niche in the communities we serve, by providing a high-quality, affordable and convenient health care option for patients, on their terms."

Take Care Health Clinics in West Palm Beach are staffed by board-certified family nurse practitioners who treat patients 18 months and older for common illnesses such as strep throat, ear and sinus infections, pink eye, and poison ivy, and are licensed to write prescriptions that can be filled at the patient's pharmacy of choice. Take Care Nurse Practitioners also provide school, sports, and camp physicals and offer vaccinations for flu, hepatitis B, meningitis and tetanus.

Clinics have two patient examination rooms, exam tables, sinks, innovative patient registration kiosks and electronic medical record technology for visit documentation. Clinics are open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., and are located at the following Walgreens drugstores in the West Palm Beach area:

· Delray Beach - 6458 Linton Blvd.

· Lantana - 105 E. Ocean Ave.

· Greenacres - 6025 Lake Worth Road

· Loxahatchee - 12001 Southern Blvd.

· Jupiter - 439 W. Indiantown Road

On additional clinic will open over the next few weeks at the following Walgreens drugstore:

o Boca Raton - 21880 State Road # 7

Take Care Health Systems has partnered with national insurance plans including Aetna, ChoiceCare, CIGNA, Coventry, Great West Healthcare, Humana, Multiplan/PCHS and UnitedHealthcare to provide covered services to patients, in addition to accepting Medicare. Additional regional insurance plans will be added soon. If insured by one of these plans, patients pay their regular co-pay. For the uninsured or cash payers, prices average $59-$74 and are listed on clinic sign-in kiosks.

"We are thrilled to extend our model of high-quality, affordable health care to residents of West Palm Beach," said Debi Mazzuca, Take Care Health's Lead Nurse Practitioner for West Palm Beach. "Take Care Health Clinics provide an integrated approach to a patient's long term well-being. Our experienced nurse practitioners understand their local communities and are committed to providing an unparalleled patient experience."

Take Care Nurse Practitioners encourage all patients to have a health care home, a provider they see routinely for on-going medical needs and routine exams. If a patient's condition falls outside of the scope of service at the clinic, the patient is referred back to his/her primary care provider for follow-on care. If a patient does not have a primary care provider, nurse practitioners will offer a list of providers in the area accepting new patients. Take Care Nurse Practitioners collaborate with local physicians who are available for consultation at all times the practitioner is treating a patient. Collaborating physicians and other local providers work with Take Care Nurse Practitioners to accept patient referrals.

Take Care Health Systems uses nationally recognized, evidence-based clinical guidelines for treatment and electronic medical record technology allowing patients to take visit records to their other providers, promoting continuity of care. Take Care Nurse Practitioners follow quality and safety standards as outlined by the Convenient Care Association, the industry's trade association, and are aligned with guidelines for retail clinics set by the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Medical Association.

Take Care Health Systems is part of Walgreens new Health and Wellness Division. Walgreens recently announced plans to acquire I-trax, Inc. (AMEX: DMX) of Chadds Ford, Penn., parent company of CHD Meridian Healthcare, LLC, and privately held Whole Health Management of Cleveland, two leading operators of worksite health clinics. Including Take Care Health Clinics, Walgreens will have more than 500 worksite and retail health clinics under the Health and Wellness Division upon closing of the transactions.

Take Care Health Systems currently manages 162 clinics in 16 cities and throughout 13 states, including Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Miami, Milwaukee, Nashville, Orlando, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Tampa, Tucson and West Palm Beach.

About Take Care Health Systems SM

Take Care Health Systems ( www.takecarehealth.com), one of the largest managers of convenient care clinics, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Walgreens. The Company combines best practices in health care and the expertise and personal care of providers to deliver access to high-quality, affordable, convenient health care to all individuals. Take Care Health Clinics are located at select Walgreens drugstores nationwide, where nurse practitioners and physician assistants focus exclusively on the diagnosis and treatment of common family illnesses and provide vaccinations and physicals. Take Care Health Systems currently manages 162 Take Care Health Clinics in 16 cities throughout 13 states, with plans to have more than 400 clinics in operation by the end of 2008. The Company maintains a detailed quality assurance program including collaborating physician review to promote quality care, patient safety and state scope of practice compliance. Patient care is provided by Take Care Health Services, an independently owned state professional corporation established in each market.

About Walgreens

Walgreens is the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2007 sales of $53.8 billion. The company operates 6,271 stores in 49 states and Puerto Rico. Walgreens is expanding its patient-first health care services beyond traditional pharmacy through Walgreens Health Services, its managed care division, and Take Care Health Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary that manages 161 convenient care clinics at Walgreens drugstores. Walgreens Health Services assists pharmacy patients and prescription drug and medical plans through Walgreens Health Initiatives Inc. (a pharmacy benefit manager), Walgreens Mail Service Inc., Walgreens Home Care Inc., Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy LLC and SeniorMed LLC (a pharmacy provider to long-term care facilities). More information about Walgreens is available at Walgreens.com.




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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Katie Leh

New York , NY

Katie Leh has posted 1 story and 0 comments since joining on 4/28/2008. Katie Leh 's average story rating is 0.
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