Medicine In A Minute

A new MinuteClinic has opened at the CVS on New Hampshire Avenue in Langley Park, offering quick medical care to those with or without insurance.

MinuteClinic practitioners specialize in family health care and can diagnose, treat and write prescriptions for common illnesses like strep throat and ear, eye, sinus, bladder and bronchial infections, said Carol Coloma, a nurse practitioner at the new location, the fourth in Prince George’s County.

Minor wounds, abrasions and joint sprains also are treated, and common vaccinations for things like the flu, tetanus, pneumonia and Hepatitis A & B are available at most locations.

Patrons can also get wellness checks like screenings and monitoring for diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Wait And See

This fall, as cold and flu season approaches, you won’t have to wait a week for an appointment at a busy physician’s office.

“One of the huge benefits with MinuteClinic is that [we’re] open seven days a week [and you don’t need] an appointment,” Coloma said. “If you can’t get in to see your doctor or don’t have one we can treat you for a variety of ailments.”

Coloma sees a mix of people with and without physicians.

“Especially as you head into the fall sometimes people will call their physician and they’re told the next appointment is four days out,” she said.

The flip side of having to wait for a doctor is that there is a large population in Langley Park that doesn’t have a primary care physician, Coloma said.

“Either [they] just moved to the area or [they] haven’t established one,” she said, adding that the MinuteClinic has a resource list of local health care providers who are taking on new patients.

Swiftly and Thrift-ly

You don’t have to have medical insurance to be seen at a MinuteClinic. Practitioners will see you anyhow and the cost for services won’t break the bank. Flu vaccines, for example, cost $29.99 and minor injury treatment costs between $79 and $89. Pregnancy tests are $20 and a quick strep test is $23.

If you do have insurance, MinuteClinic can work with you. If you have Blue Cross, United Heath Care, Aetna, Cigna or Medicare MinuteClinic will bill the insurance directly, Coloma said. They soon could accept Maryland Medicaid, she said.

Here are some things you should know about the new Langley Park MinuteClinic:

• Some practitioners speak Spanish and there also is a language interpretation line for any language;

• All Maryland practitioners are certified family nurses;

• Nurses see only those 18 months and older; and

• You can get school vaccines at MinuteClinic.

Langley Park MinuteClinic Hours: