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The man behind a faster Rx
It takes a gutsy guy to go to the Mayo Clinic, get up onstage and tell them they could do better.
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It takes a gutsy guy to go to the Mayo Clinic, get up onstage and tell them they could do better.
Michael Howe, chief executive of fast-growing MinuteClinic, is that kind of guy. He did just that this week at Mayo's first Transformation Symposium in Rochester.
The Mayo folks took it gamely. It was, after all, a conference on innovation.
The Minneapolis-based chain of retail clinics, now owned by CVS Caremark Corp., will open kiosk No. 400 before Thanksgiving. That puts MinuteClinics in 25 states, more than any health care provider.
The former chief of fast-food chain Arby's talked to the Star Tribune about his company's ambitions.
Q You went from fast food to fast care. What are the parallels?
A Fast food is a wonderful study in systems management. You have to create processes and a customer experience. MinuteClinic was looking for someone like me. At first look, I didn't think this was something I was qualified for. But it was an opportunity to create a legacy. We redefined health care delivery in so many ways. Of course, we have a long way to go.
Q The medical establishment is now opening its own retail clinics. What will you do next? What's MinuteClinic Version 2?
A You are going to see more preventive care. I was talking to [Rick] Wagoner of General Motors, and he told me how OnStar [a car safety and communication service] is now being used to remind people about maintenance. Warranty work's gone down with lower costs for GM.
Would that apply to health care? We will look at screenings as a basis for helping you, the patient, make lifestyle changes. Thirty percent of our patients don't have a primary care provider. We can connect you with a primary physician who can manage your care.
Q You mentioned that MinuteClinic can predict a flu-like outbreak seven to 10 days ahead of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How will you use this information?
A We don't know. We went to the CDC and said, "Help us." We get 55,000 to 58,000 patients a month. It's a massive amount of data.
Q What keeps you up at night?
A The overregulation of innovation. In Georgia, the medical association tried to make retail clinics illegal. Another state medical association took out a radio ad that said, "Here's a prescription with your fries."
When I got into health care, I was struck by how highly insular it is. Such a guild mentality. It's inefficient, ineffective and it's going to collapse under its own cost.
Chen May Yee 612 • 673-7434
Chen May Yee • mychen@startribune.com
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