Case Study Minute Clinic

The introduction of in-store medical clinics started in May 2000, when MinuteClinic opened its first location in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. This was the debut of the walk-in clinic approach. The clinic center offered treatment for 7 common medical conditions at that time. The conditions they offered treatment for was strep throat, mono, flu, pregnancy testing, and bladder, ear, and sinus infections. Patients would only have the option of cash pay however; the clinics did give a more affordable alternative to ERs and urgent care centers. This led to a demand for walk-in convenience, which led to rapid growth and the start of accepting patients medical insurance as a payment option.
MinuteClinic expanded its clinics in more stores
as well as adding corporate office locations. In 2006, Minute Clinic launched its relationship with CVS/pharmacy. There are now more than 800 MinuteClinic locations in 28 states and the District of Columbia. This growth has also led to the expansion of services including the diagnosis and treatment of minor illnesses, injuries and skin conditions, administration of vaccinations, injections, health screenings and physicals, and monitoring for chronic conditions .
MinuteClinic has managed to implement a variety of promotional strategies for the intangible service they provide for their consumers. The first promotional strategy is stressing tangible cues. The MinuteClinic facilities that customers visit and where the services are provided are a critical tangible cue. Also the fact that MinuteClinic centers are open 7 days per week with later hours with no appointment necessary than traditional doctors have also stress tangible cues. When Minnesota was hit with a string of flu-related deaths in 2007, MinuteClinic created a children’s area to make the wait easier for families by adding televisions, videos, and coloring books to keep children occupied during the long lines which also adds to the stressing tangible cues promotional strategy. Using personal information sources is another promotional strategy that MinuteClinic has implemented by providing individualized high-quality care from experienced family nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Award winning actress, Marilu Henner, did a segment for MinuteClinic on the national television series “Here’s to your Health” where she used her positive personal MinuteClinic experiences in the segment.
Creating a strong organizational image is another promotional strategy that MinuteClinic has used by having MinuteClinic facilities attached to a CVS drugstore, employing family nurse practitioners and physician assistants and having them wear lab coats with the MinuteClinic logo embedded on it, as well as offering services 7 days a week with extended hours and accepting most customer insurances.
The last promotional strategy that Minute clinic has used is engaging in post-purchase communication. In a 2006 Harris interactive poll, the responses were overwhelmingly positive with 92% of people who visited the retail clinic being satisfied with its convenience, 89% were satisfied with the quality of care they received, and 80% were satisfied with the cost . The use of electronic records also contributes to post-purchase communication by being able to provide educational materials, invoices, and prescriptions for their patients. MinuteClinic could further build a long-term relationship with their consumers by making follow-up calls or sending emails to check their patients progress on what they were seen in the clinic for. They could also ask their patients to do an customer testimonial so that other potential customers can review other patient’s
experiences.
MinuteClinic’s services are considered to be both customized as well as standardized for their patients. By providing a variety of services such as ear infections and strep through as well as vaccinations and physicals at prices ranging from $50-$80, as well as all of their facilities having matching interior décor, MinuteClinic’s services are considered standardized. However, each patient does not come in with the same ailment, which is why MinuteClinic’s services have be to customized for patients with different needs. MinuteClinic utilizes mass customization by keeping electronic records that streamlines the process for each patient and makes it possible to instantly transfer information directly to a patient’s primary care physicians for continuity of care. Electronic records also have the ability to generate educational materials, invoices, and prescriptions at the end of the visit for the patient.
During the flu outbreak in Minnesota in 2007, MinuteClinic demonstrated both reliability and responsiveness by performing the services dependably, accurately, consistently, as well as providing prompt service. MinuteClinic knew they needed to vaccinate as many people as possible in a short time frame so what they did was cut the number of clinics that would offer flu shots to eight locations and for about 10 days, up to 300 vaccinations were administered by the nurse practitioners each day. That is a massive increase compared with the typical February flu season where fewer than 5 shots are administered a day per clinic . They also employed supplemental nursing staff as well as sending the practitioners to wherever they were needed most. With the influx of patients, the lines became so long that they created a children’s area to make the wait easier for families. They also added television, videos, and coloring books to keep the children entertained. Donna Haugland of MinuteClinic describes this as “a community-building environment”.
Being located inside CVS, which is one of the biggest pharmacies in the US, has been extremely important to MinuteClinic’s place (distribution) strategy, which in turn has contributed to MinuteClinic’s success.
MinuteClinic’s locations inside CVS have allowed them to capture people who are shopping for everyday essentials such as shampoo, laundry detergent, prescriptions, and makeup to utilize their services for vaccinations, treatment for common ailments, and physicals making CVS a one stop shop. Where else can you go where you can pick up your pictures and get treatment for your ear infection at the same time? Increasing their number of clinics from 1 to more than 800 clinics in 28 states and the District of Columbia has clearly demonstrated MinuteClinic’s
success.
The elements MinuteClinic appears to be focusing in the marketing mix is product, place (distribution) as well as pricing. However, they do incorporate every element from the marketing mix. The product is what they are in business for, which is providing cheaper, and more accessible healthcare. From a consumer prospective, being able to get treatment for my strep throat without an appointment, being able to pick up the prescription for the treatment, and picking up some boxes of hot tea all in the same place is a huge convenience. People want convenience. They don’t want to spend all day waiting for hours and driving all around to get treated for their condition. Before, I would have to call my doctor’s office, schedule an appointment, wait a long time in the waiting room, finally be seen by the doctor, and then drive to a pharmacy to pick up the prescription. Have a lower pricing structure than other doctor’s offices is also something that MinuteClinic has focused on. They wouldn’t be as sought out if their services cost just as much if not more than a doctor’s office.
MinuteClinic has proven to be a successful in-store clinic by providing cheaper, more accessible healthcare to patients. They have achieved this by being located inside one of the biggest pharmacies in the US, which gives convenience to patients, having a cheaper pricing structure than doctor’s office, and being open seven days per week with later hours than traditional doctor’s offices. This has allowed them to expand the number of healthcare centers to 800 clinics in 26 states and the District of Columbia.