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3/6/2006
Hy-Vee Teams with Curaquick to Add 10 Medical Clinics
WEST DES MOINES, IA — Officials with Hy-Vee, Inc. today
announced an agreement with Curaquick Clinics, a Sioux
City, IA-based healthcare provider specializing in
retail delivery of basic medical services, to operate
medical clinics in 10 Hy-Vee stores. The first will be
unveiled in the newly relocated Hy-Vee in Columbus, NE,
which opens March 21.
The walk-in clinics, whose extended hours of operation
are appealing to busy families, will be staffed
primarily by nurse practitioners or physician
assistants. They will operate on a first-come,
first-serve basis and treat minor illnesses and ailments
such as allergies, heartburn, colds and coughs.
Vaccinations for flu, pneumonia and tetanus will also be
available.
“Offering on-site care to those with minor ailments is
just one more service we can offer to our busy
customers, who have, for some time now, made their
demands for both convenience and quality service
well-known,” says Mary Hunter, assistant vice president
of real estate. “We are delighted to work with Curaquick
to bring affordable, basic medical care into the
mainstream of retail.”
John Daniels, Curaquick cofounder and chief executive,
says the concept of the in-store medical clinic is to
provide an affordable option for basic healthcare
services. “Consumers want choices, and healthcare is no
exception,” he says. “Curaquick Clinics in Hy-Vee offer
a convenient, affordable option.”
Dan Burow, another cofounder of the company, emphasizes
that because the fees are affordable, Curaquick Clinics
fill a void for people who are uninsured or
underinsured. “Curaquick’s fee structure is also
attractive to people with insurance in today’s
environment of higher deductible and co-payment
requirements.”
Signs outside the clinic list the types of medical care
offered. Those who come to the clinic with more serious
or chronic conditions will be referred to doctors,
hospitals or urgent care facilities. Insured patients
who receive treatment are provided with a detailed
receipt to submit to their insurance carrier.
Hunter said Hy-Vee is still in the process of working
with Curaquick to determine which stores will add
medical clinics in the coming months. She said the
company expects to open the remaining nine clinics
covered under the agreement within the next year.
Hy-Vee, Inc. is an employee-owned corporation operating
222 retail stores in seven Midwestern states. For 2005
the company recorded total sales of $4.9 billion,
ranking it among the top 20 supermarket chains and the
top 35 private companies in the U.S.
Curaquick Clinics, based in Sioux City, Iowa,
specializes in retail-based healthcare clinics. The
Curaquick Clinic model is similar to the emerging
national trend toward convenient and affordable
healthcare delivery systems. |
