New Texas Law Expands Access to Safe and Affordable Care at Convenient Care Clinics

--Senator Patrick and Representative Coleman Sponsor Legislation--
PHILADELPHIA & HOUSTON--(Business Wire)--
Legislation passed in Texas this year will, effective September 1, 2009, amend
Texas law governing physician alternative practice sites, such as retail-based
Convenient Care clinics. SB 532, supported by the Convenient Care Association
and the Texas Medical Association, and sponsored by State Senator Dan Patrick
(R-Houston) and Representative Garnet Coleman (D-Houston), increases Texans`
access to affordable health care while ensuring high standards for quality of
care.

Convenient Care clinics are health care facilities located in high-traffic
retail outlets with pharmacies. They are staffed by nurse practitioners and
physician assistants who provide affordable, accessible, non-emergency care to
consumers who otherwise might not be able to get it conveniently and at a
low-cost.

SB 532 streamlines requirements for physicians who oversee the nurse
practitioners and physician assistants working at Convenient Care clinics. This,
in turn, reduces clinic costs without compromising quality of care or
integration with the medical community, which is particularly important in Texas
where 25 percent of the state`s resident`s are uninsured and 20 percent report
having forgone medical care due to its high costs.

"Convenient Care clinics have treated millions of patients throughout the
country and hundreds of thousands of patients in Texas over the last four years.
The new law governing alternative practice sites helps ensure that these clinics
will continue to provide easy access to affordable health care throughout the
state," said Tine Hansen-Turton, Executive Director of the Convenient Care
Association.

"This new law ensures that physicians will continue to monitor convenient care
clinics in order to protect patient safety, ensure positive health outcomes, and
make certain that patients with more serious illnesses are referred for
appropriate follow-up care," said William H. Fleming III, MD, president of the
Texas Medical Association.

Currently, four Convenient Care Association member companies operate clinics
inside retail outlets in Texas.

• MinuteClinic, in CVS/pharmacy stores

• RediClinic, in H-E-B stores

• Take Care Health Systems, in Walgreens pharmacies

• CHRISTUS Medical Group, in Walmart stores

"While our nation argues how to overhaul the health care system, Texas continues
making steady and strong steps toward meaningful reform. I'm proud to be a part
of the effort for increasing access to quality health care," said Senator
Patrick. "It creates more opportunities for Texans to receive affordable, basic
medical care in convenient retail locations, and as a result, it frees up
physicians so they can spend more time treating patients with complex medical
conditions."

"Our state`s physician practices, urgent care clinics and emergency rooms are
overburdened, resulting in excessive wait times and unnecessarily high costs for
patients," said Representative Coleman. "Allowing Convenient Care clinics to
serve as accessible, affordable points of care for common family illnesses will
help to relieve the stress on our health care system and reduce its cost."

About the Convenient Care Association

The Convenient Care Association is a national non-profit organization comprised
of leaders of the retail-based convenient care industry. CCA members operate
more than 95 percent of the Convenient Care clinics in the United States, which
today includes over 1,200 clinics in 31 states. All CCA member clinics adhere to
Quality and Safety Standards and are certified or accredited through a third
party. For more information or to find a clinic near you, please visit
www.ccaclinics.org.

About the Texas Medical Association

The Texas Medical Association is the largest state medical society in the
nation, representing nearly 44,000 physician and medical student members. It is
located in Austin and has 120 component county medical societies around the
state. TMA`s key objective since 1853 is to improve the health of all Texans.

For The Convenient Care Association
Tine Hansen-Turton, 215-219-8857
Tine@ccaclinics.org
www.ccaclinics.org

Copyright Business Wire 2009