New Partnership Grants MinuteClinic Patients Access to Henry Ford Doctors

Patients visiting the at Macomb Township’s 21 Mile and Card will now have the added convenience of access to doctors in the Henry Ford Health System.

A recently formed partnership between The Henry Ford Health System and CVS Caremark’s 10 Metro Detroit MinuteClinics will make Henry Ford doctors available as on-call medical directors at the local clinics.

The walk-in clinics are already staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants who can treat common illnesses, as well as offer wellness and prevention services, but through the collaboration with Henry Ford, a higher level of care, including the management of chronic illnesses, will also be available.

“Through this collaboration, Henry Ford is increasing its capacity to serve patients in the community through hospitals, urgent and specialty care centers and now, walk-in medical clinics at CVS/pharmacy stores,” said Mark Kelley, executive vice president and chief medical officer of Henry Ford Health System and CEO of the Henry Ford Medical Group, in a release. “We will be expanding our ability to provide appropriate care at the appropriate place.

Kelley added that Henry Ford doctors would consult with the MinuteClinic’s on-site practitioners on an as-needed basis.

“If people treated at a MinuteClinic do not have a primary care doctor for follow-up care, they will be given a list of local doctors, including Henry Ford physicians, from which to choose,” Kelley said.

However, the affiliation will not create a financial relationship between MinuteClinic and Henry Ford. Medical directors will be paid for their services directly by MinuteClinic.

“Henry Ford Health System has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to improving the health and well-being of a diverse community of patients, and shares MinuteClinic’s mission to make access to high-quality health care services more accessible for area citizens,” said Andrew Sussman, MinuteClinic president and CVS Caremark senior vice president/associate chief medical officer, in a release. “Our team of nurse practitioners looks forward to collaborating with Henry Ford’s physicians to develop a clinical care network that meets the growing health care needs in the Detroit metro area.”

With patient permission, MinuteClinic will share medical histories and visit summaries with other Henry Ford locations in Southeast Michigan. The clinic will also continue its standard practice of sending visit summaries to the patient’s primary care doctor.

For more information on MinuteClinic and its services, .