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SmartCare Family Medical Centers Expands National Reach in Wal-Mart Stores in Colorado, Nevada and Arizona
Wednesday June 21, 7:00 am ET
GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo., June 21 /PRNewswire/ -- SmartCare Family Medical Centers, a rapidly growing operator of retail healthcare centers, announces an LOI agreement to lease space within select Wal-Mart Supercenters in Colorado, Nevada and Arizona. SmartCare is an independently-owned company that will design, build and operate its medical centers inside Wal-Mart stores in these states, with specific locations to be identified soon. The centers are scheduled to open during the third and fourth quarters of 2006.
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As in its other markets, SmartCare Centers offers convenient, quality care for common ailments such as sore throats, ear infections and seasonal allergies, as well as basic health services such as flu shots and other vaccines, school and employment physicals and cholesterol screenings. Each SmartCare Center is staffed by Nurse Practitioners and Certified Medical Assistants, with a physician on-call at all times.
"SmartCare Centers are relevant to every community that can benefit from greater access to quality medical care for everyday needs," said Lawrence W. Hay, chief executive officer of SmartCare. "Locating within Wal-Mart stores will give those communities consumer-driven, no appointment necessary healthcare services offering a convenient complement to their existing physician relationships."
SmartCare is developing its high quality, consumer-focused healthcare concept throughout the United States by operating centers in a variety of convenient, retail hosts. The company has a comprehensive quality assurance program, uses evidence-based guidelines to provide a specific scope of clinical services for everyday medical needs, and well-defined processes to ensure patients with medical needs beyond SmartCare's scope are promptly and effectively referred to other medical providers. SmartCare supports the patient-physician relationship at every visit by encouraging patients to have a regular physician and through a leading-edge electronic health records system that provides clinical patient information to physician offices with patient consent.
"Wal-Mart serves as a community hub for thousands of people who can benefit from more convenient access points to quality healthcare," said Amee Chande, vice president of health care strategy and communications for Wal-Mart. "We are pleased to invite SmartCare into our stores to meet the basic and preventive health needs of local communities and Wal-Mart customers."
About Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates Wal-Mart Stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and SAM'S CLUB locations in the United States. The company operates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, South Korea and the United Kingdom. The company's securities are listed on the New York and Pacific stock exchanges under the symbol WMT. More information about Wal-Mart can be found by visiting www.walmartfacts.com.
About SmartCare Family Medical Centers
SmartCare Family Medical Centers is a Colorado-based company that operates retail healthcare centers throughout the US. Formed in 2004 by a group of medical and business professionals from TIVIS Ventures, SmartCare's mission is: "To revolutionize healthcare delivery by providing convenient access to quality care by dedicated professionals focused on the everyday medical needs of families." In addition to treating acute illnesses and providing health screenings, SmartCare practitioners place a strong emphasis on wellness and make guest education an essential part of every visit. No appointment is necessary at SmartCare and centers offer extended hours, including evenings and weekends. Centers accept most health insurance plans or self-pay. SmartCare has plans to open up to 1,050 centers in three to five years. For more information, visit www.SmartCareCenters.com.
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Source: SmartCare Family Medical Centers
