Minute Clinic Experiences?
Nov 15th 2014, 1:46 am
#46
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Re: Minute Clinic Experiences?
I've had bad experiences with CVS in MA and AZ and generally avoid them.
However I was stuck on vacation in NC with an ear infection and was forced to use a CVS minute clinic to get an Rx.
Nurse practitioner checked me over, confirmed the ear infection and I went to the Pharmacy counter to pick up the Rx. Luckily this time CVS filled it in less than 15 minutes, unlike the 2 hours at my previous CVS visit in AZ.
The nurse couldn't figure out the insurance so charged me nothing and i got the $40 a month or so later. Both my regular visits and urgent care are both $40, so i don't know what it was billed as.
What i didn't like about the clinic was the check in process, you sit in front of a big touch screen TV and enter all your details including what symptoms you are experiencing and what you are there for. All this in clear view of people sat around you. No privacy at all. They can watch you enter all you information like they were watching TV.
However I was stuck on vacation in NC with an ear infection and was forced to use a CVS minute clinic to get an Rx.
Nurse practitioner checked me over, confirmed the ear infection and I went to the Pharmacy counter to pick up the Rx. Luckily this time CVS filled it in less than 15 minutes, unlike the 2 hours at my previous CVS visit in AZ.
The nurse couldn't figure out the insurance so charged me nothing and i got the $40 a month or so later. Both my regular visits and urgent care are both $40, so i don't know what it was billed as.
What i didn't like about the clinic was the check in process, you sit in front of a big touch screen TV and enter all your details including what symptoms you are experiencing and what you are there for. All this in clear view of people sat around you. No privacy at all. They can watch you enter all you information like they were watching TV.
I kind of like the screen idea better, actually seems a bit more private then talking with tons of people around listening.
Nov 15th 2014, 2:31 am
#47
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Re: Minute Clinic Experiences?
Oh my lord, did this thread raise my blood pressure.
A Nurse Practitioner is not the same as a nurse (although they were a nurse before they were a NP) and is not "more than an RN but not quite a PA".
Gah - how insulting! In fact, PAs and NPs do the same job, although NPs have their own license, while the PA works under the supervision of a physician's license. In many US states, NPs have independent practice.
NPs work in almost every area of healthcare, including urgent care, acute care hospitals, family practice etc. They assess, diagnose, treat and prescribe. They are masters degree or doctorate educated. It's National NP week this week so seemed appropriate for a tutorial
A Nurse Practitioner is not the same as a nurse (although they were a nurse before they were a NP) and is not "more than an RN but not quite a PA".
Gah - how insulting! In fact, PAs and NPs do the same job, although NPs have their own license, while the PA works under the supervision of a physician's license. In many US states, NPs have independent practice.
NPs work in almost every area of healthcare, including urgent care, acute care hospitals, family practice etc. They assess, diagnose, treat and prescribe. They are masters degree or doctorate educated. It's National NP week this week so seemed appropriate for a tutorial
If I were you I would take care of that BP problem
Nov 15th 2014, 2:31 am
#48
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Joined: Aug 2004
Location: MA, USA
Posts: 92,170
Re: Minute Clinic Experiences?
The one we were at to get the jabs, the kiosk was by the clinic entrance but there wasn't much space to walk by the aisle, so anyone looking for cough medicine would be right beside you. The previous place we went to had the kiosk off to one side out of the way plus the waiting room type chairs were on the other side of the little clinic block so it was at least private...plus those privacy screens are pretty good, you have to be standing right over your shoulder for someone else to see the screen.
It's just got a crap UI and they're terrible slow and unresponsive.
Nov 15th 2014, 11:14 pm
#49
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Posts: 1,966
Re: Minute Clinic Experiences?
Ok...calm yourself down. Read it again, I was explaining in a laymans term that a NP was NOT just a nurse. I certainly was not demeening the position, and as some states are different to others in what a NP can do it was just a guide as to why NP's could prescribe meds whereas an RN could not.
If I were you I would take care of that BP problem
If I were you I would take care of that BP problem
Regarding my blood pressure - calm down, it's just an expression. Blood pressure can go up and down for any number of reasons. Ignorance certainly doesn't cause a lasting deleterious effect.
Nov 15th 2014, 11:59 pm
#50
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Re: Minute Clinic Experiences?
Nope, NPs can diagnose, treat and prescribe in ALL states. And yes, saying they are not "just a nurse" is insulting to RNs, and saying they are "not quite a PA" is both incorrect and insulting to NPs.
Regarding my blood pressure - calm down, it's just an expression. Blood pressure can go up and down for any number of reasons. Ignorance certainly doesn't cause a lasting deleterious effect.
Regarding my blood pressure - calm down, it's just an expression. Blood pressure can go up and down for any number of reasons. Ignorance certainly doesn't cause a lasting deleterious effect.
All I was doing was explaining that an NP could do more than an RN.
I was not knocking nurses, why would I???
And I believe I was being
re the blood pressure commentUntwist your knickers chill out
Jan 20th 2015, 5:29 pm
#51
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Location: MA, USA
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Re: Minute Clinic Experiences?
So just tried a new local urgent care clinic that's not far away...quite nice and shiny.
After all the insurance faff, $35 co-pay and then an hours wait for the triage nurse and another hours wait for the doctor.
Kid has pneumonia it turns out, after being given a chest x-ray and a nasal flu swab test. Given a prescription to fill out at the local CVS, antibiotics was $17 as it wasn't one of the cheap $10 list, this for a 10 day supply.
Should have gone to Wegmans as they do free antibiotics, but you can't pick and go in MA as the doctor electronically submits the prescription to the pharmacy and there can be a days delay if you want them to cancel it and send it to another one.
All this faff, should have headed off to the PCP, even 45-60 mins away, it probably would have been quicker....or just used the CVS Minute Clinic, but I really hate the online registration terminal business.
Someone else there was asking about a check up as they needed some things done for a trip. $150 for a check up, including administering of tests but that does not include the cost of the tests. Just to see the doctor, which is required for prescription medicine was $65 and malaria drugs which is a prescription drug was $110 and the other one was $150 I think Hep A? Can't remember what the person was asking for exactly.
There was free bottles of water, coffee, pretzels and chocolate kisses though :/
After all the insurance faff, $35 co-pay and then an hours wait for the triage nurse and another hours wait for the doctor.
Kid has pneumonia it turns out, after being given a chest x-ray and a nasal flu swab test. Given a prescription to fill out at the local CVS, antibiotics was $17 as it wasn't one of the cheap $10 list, this for a 10 day supply.
Should have gone to Wegmans as they do free antibiotics, but you can't pick and go in MA as the doctor electronically submits the prescription to the pharmacy and there can be a days delay if you want them to cancel it and send it to another one.
All this faff, should have headed off to the PCP, even 45-60 mins away, it probably would have been quicker....or just used the CVS Minute Clinic, but I really hate the online registration terminal business.
Someone else there was asking about a check up as they needed some things done for a trip. $150 for a check up, including administering of tests but that does not include the cost of the tests. Just to see the doctor, which is required for prescription medicine was $65 and malaria drugs which is a prescription drug was $110 and the other one was $150 I think Hep A? Can't remember what the person was asking for exactly.
There was free bottles of water, coffee, pretzels and chocolate kisses though :/
Mar 6th 2015, 6:27 pm
#52
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Location: MA, USA
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Re: Minute Clinic Experiences?
Just an update to the above, we ended up with a balance of around $130 I think it was, on our next visit when the other Bobette #2, got sick a couple weeks later.
And a month later, thanks to parents keeping sick kids in school, one kid got pink eye and also has an ear infection and a bit of a cough that's not contagious at least. Eye drops and antibiotics.
Other kid, cough that's not lungy, but more inhaler stuff as has low O2 but also a double ear infection. Antibiotics and more stuff for the inhaler.
So $70 in co-pays and $60 at the pharmacist for the drugs, antibiotics were free at Wegmans though, plus the tax that they would have been.
Two fillings on one of the kids yesterday was $90 for the co-pay and portion of the $555 bill.
It's been an expensive month of sick kids. With nothing really substantial either.
Getting a bit pissed off with some of these sick kids hacking up and weeping all over the place and still being in school.
One plus side though, the online queue thingy is now working at this clinic, so we were able to get names on the list an hour or so in advance and just turn up at the expected time which worked quite nicely.
And a month later, thanks to parents keeping sick kids in school, one kid got pink eye and also has an ear infection and a bit of a cough that's not contagious at least. Eye drops and antibiotics.
Other kid, cough that's not lungy, but more inhaler stuff as has low O2 but also a double ear infection. Antibiotics and more stuff for the inhaler.
So $70 in co-pays and $60 at the pharmacist for the drugs, antibiotics were free at Wegmans though, plus the tax that they would have been.
Two fillings on one of the kids yesterday was $90 for the co-pay and portion of the $555 bill.
It's been an expensive month of sick kids. With nothing really substantial either.
Getting a bit pissed off with some of these sick kids hacking up and weeping all over the place and still being in school.
One plus side though, the online queue thingy is now working at this clinic, so we were able to get names on the list an hour or so in advance and just turn up at the expected time which worked quite nicely.
