Humana Military Healthcare Services, a subsidiary of Humana Inc. and the TRICARE Contractor for the South Region announced that MinuteClinic services would be available to TRICARE beneficiaries in a number of new cities.
TRICARE is the healthcare program serving active duty military service members, National Guard and Reserve members, retirees, their families, survivors and certain former spouses worldwide. The program brings together the healthcare resources of the uniformed services and supplements them with networks of civilian healthcare professionals, institutions, pharmacies and suppliers.
Initially, MinuteClinic services were available to beneficiaries in select cities in Oklahoma and Texas beginning in October. Clinics are now available to beneficiaries in the additional following locations; Boca Raton/West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa in Florida; Atlanta in Georgia; Columbia, Greenville/Spartanburg/Anderson in South Carolina; and Knoxville and Nashville in Tennessee.
MinuteClinic healthcare centers are located inside CVS pharmacies and staffed by nurse practitioners specializing in family healthcare, with physician oversight. They are trained to diagnose, treat and write prescriptions for common family illnesses and provide vaccinations.
In addition, the clinics administer a series of wellness services designed to help beneficiaries identify lifestyle changes needed to improve their current and future health. TRICARE beneficiaries are able to receive services that are covered benefits.
"MinuteClinic has been a great addition to our provider network," said Dave Baker, president and CEO of HMHS. "We are pleased with the success of this relationship and the ability to expand this service to more beneficiaries in the South region."
MinuteClinics are open seven-days-a-week. Appointments are not necessary and MinuteClinic representatives said most visits take between 10-15 minutes. The clinics are located in a retail setting for patient convenience, with pharmacy and over-the-counter medications available in the same location.
Board-certified nurse practitioners with graduate-level training in family healthcare staff MinuteClinic healthcare centers. Nurse practitioners work in collaboration with physicians and may prescribe medication when it is part of the treatment plan.
Each MinuteClinic also receives support from a local physician that serves as medical director and is on call during hours of operation to provide guidance when needed.
HMHS, headquartered in Louisville, Ky., has been a Department of Defense contractor for the administration of the TRICARE program since July 1, 1996.