Cleveland Clinic, a pioneer in the use of healthcare information technology, has entered into a clinical collaboration with MinuteClinic, the largest provider of retail healthcare in the country.

As part of the collaboration, Cleveland Clinic and MinuteClinic will fully integrate their electronic medical records systems to streamline communication around all aspects of a patient's care.

Each Cleveland Clinic-affiliated MinuteClinic will have access, with patient consent, to a patient's Cleveland Clinic MyChart electronic medical record, which includes medical history, prescriptions, treatments and health maintenance information.

At the patient's request, MinuteClinic will share its patient information with other Cleveland Clinic-affiliated locations in northeast Ohio via the MinuteClinic EMR for MinuteClinic patients who have been treated in those locations.

MinuteClinic is a subsidiary of the CVS Caremark Corp. It has 500 clinics in 25 states.

Under the agreement, Cleveland Clinic will share responsibilities at several locations inside select northeast Ohio CVS pharmacy stores. The locations, which provide a convenient seven-day-a-week option for people with acute minor illnesses, will now have a direct link to one of the nation's premier hospitals, officials said in announcing the deal.

"This relationship will demonstrate a true continuity of care model in northeast Ohio," said David Bronson, MD, chairman of the Medicine Institute at Cleveland Clinic. "Consumers today want access, affordability and coordinated care at all levels. This collaboration with MinuteClinic enhances this innovative solution and addresses those needs while providing quality medical care for acute minor illnesses."

By the end of 2009, the collaboration will include nine locations in northeast Ohio, each staffed by a MinuteClinic nurse practitioner with clinical consultation provided by a Cleveland Clinic Health System-appointed medical director.

"We are pleased to be working with one of the leading medical institutions in the United States to expand access to basic healthcare needs in the Cleveland community," said Chip Phillips, MinuteClinic's president. "Through this agreement, Cleveland Clinic's family physicians will serve as a valuable resource to our MinuteClinic nurse practitioners in northeast Ohio and we look forward to collaborating with Cleveland Clinic on a range of patient education and preventive services."