MinuteClinic steps up to curb flu crisis in Twin Cities

Drug Store News,  March 19, 2007  by Antoinette Alexander

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MINNEAPOLIS -- Those in Minnesota received a frightening wakeup call earlier this year when they endured an unnerving string of flu-related deaths, including a Minneapolis firefighter. Fearing the worst, many residents heeded the advice of the state's Department of Health and eagerly sought out vaccinations. Many turned to their local MinuteClinic, which had quickly put a plan in place to address the crisis and meet the high demand.

"It is amazing what practitioners can do in the right environment and given the chance," said Michael Howe, chief executive officer of MinuteClinic. "That is really what struck me is how important the practitioners were [in handling the flu crisis]."

MinuteClinic, which is owned by CVS and based here, currently operates 23 clinics in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn., area. However, instead of boosting the staff at all 23 facilities, the company determined that the most effective strategy would be to take a hub-and-spoke approach for better inventory control.

This is largely due to the fact that this also happens to be the busiest season for sick visits and other upper respiratory ailments.

To vaccinate as many people as possible in a short time frame, the company narrowed the number of clinics that would offer flu shots to eight locations, employed supplemental nursing staff and sent nurse practitioners to wherever they were needed," explained Donna Haugland, director of practitioner services at MinuteClinic.

The move proved successful. For about 10 days, the nurse practitioners administered up to 300 shots a day in each of the eight hub clinics. In comparison, during a typical February flu season, fewer than five flu shots are administered a day per clinic.

As one can imagine, the waiting line for a flu shot became long, so in some locations CVS associates set up a children's area by the pharmacy--complete with a television and videos, coloring books and chairs--turning the crisis into what Haugland described as a "community-building environment."

Howe noted that another element that proved especially helpful was its electronic records system, which afforded MinuteClinic the inventory management it needed. "It allowed us to bring in business product principles, understanding where you are with syringes, bandages, etc.," Howe said.

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