RediClinic Signs Agreement to Support the American Academy of Family Physicians’ ‘desired attributes’ for Retail Health Clinics

HOUSTON (September 25, 2006) – InterFit Health’s RediClinic, a leading provider of high-quality, convenient health care for routine medical issues, has been recognized by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) for its support of and compliance with the AAFP’s desired attributes of retail health clinics. RediClinic is the first retail health care provider to sign this official agreement.

“We are honored to be recognized by the AAFP for our compliance with the organization’s ‘desired attributes’ for retail health clinics,” said Web Golinkin, InterFit’s Chief Executive Officer. “Providing high-quality care to patients is the most important objective of all convenient care providers, and we appreciate the AAFP’s role in helping to ensure this objective is achieved.”

The AAFP has identified the following attributes that are important to the patient care offered by retail health clinics:

• Scope of Service – Retail clinics must have a well-defined and limited scope of clinical services.

• Evidence-based Medicine – Clinical services and treatment must be evidence-based and quality improvement-oriented.

• Team-based Approach – The clinic should have a formal connection with physician practices in the local community, preferably with family physicians, to provide continuity of care. Other health professionals, such as nurse practitioners, should only operate in accordance with state and local regulations, as part of a “team-based” approach to health care and under responsible supervision of a practicing, licensed physician.

• Referrals – The clinic must have a referral system to physician practices or to other entities, appropriate to the patient’s symptoms beyond the clinic’s scope of work. The clinic should encourage all patients to have a “medical home.”

• Electronic Health Records – The clinic should include an EHR system sufficient to gather and communicate the patient’s information with the family physician’s office, preferably one that is compatible with the Continuity of Care Record supported by the AAFP and others.

“The AAFP has worked diligently to foster positive relationships with RediClinic and other retail health companies in order to promote patient safety,” said Larry S. Fields, M.D., president of the AAFP. “We were the first medical organization to speak publicly about them and the first to define ‘desired attributes,’ all retail health clinics should follow to ensure safe care. While the AAFP does not endorse any particular retail health clinic business model or company, we are delighted RediClinics has signed an agreement promising to keep our ‘desired attributes’ at the core of the patient care they provide.”

RediClinics are located in high-traffic retail outlets and are staffed by certified nurse practitioners who work with local physicians to diagnose, treat and prescribe medications for common medical conditions, such as strep throat and upper respiratory infections. They also administer a wide range of preventive services, including health screenings, medical tests, vaccinations and basic physical exams. RediClinic locations are open seven days a week (including most holidays) and offer extended hours on weekdays. Adults and children over age two are welcome, no appointments necessary and a typical visit takes about 15 minutes.

RediClinic’s certified nurse practitioners, who are registered nurses with master’s degrees, use a proprietary electronic medical record system to document and guide patient visits. This system ensures patient suitability to RediClinic’s limited scope of practice and facilitates continuity of care when other clinicians are involved. Patients who cannot be treated at RediClinic or who need ongoing treatment are referred to their primary care provider, if they have one, or to other physicians in their communities.

The AAFP was instrumental in the recent appointment of one of its members, Mary Campagnolo, M.D., to RediClinic’s National Advisory Board for Clinical Quality. Dr. Campagnolo is respected nationally for her work on quality improvement and quality assurance. She currently serves as a member of the AAFP’s Commission on Quality, is a past president of the New Jersey Academy of Family Physicians (NJAFP) and currently serves on the board of directors of the NJAFP. Announced this summer, RediClinic’s National Advisory Board for Clinical Quality was established to ensure that RediClinic protocols and systems support the consistent delivery of high-quality health care at every RediClinic nationwide.

Founding members of the Advisory Board include representatives from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and American College of Nurse Practitioners (ACNP). Other members of the Advisory Board include Samuel Ward Casscells III, MD and Robert Rakel, MD. Dr. Casscells serves as the John Edward Tyson Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and is one of the nation's foremost experts in preventive cardiology. Dr. Casscells also is a former member of President George W. Bush’s Healthcare Advisory Committee. Dr. Rakel is the former Chairman of Family Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and recognized as one of America’s authorities on family medicine.

InterFit Health currently operates 11 RediClinics nationwide with retail partners H-E-B in Texas, Wal-Mart in Arkansas and Oklahoma, and Duane Reade in New York. InterFit recently announced plans to open 75 new RediClinics in the next 12 months and 500 new units by 2009, enabling the company to bring its convenient and affordable non-emergency care to millions of consumers throughout the United States. This expansion will occur partially through its existing retail partnerships, as well as through a new partnership with Walgreens, the nation’s largest drug store chain.

For a complete list of services or other information on RediClinic, call 1-866-607-Redi or visit, www.rediclinic.com. RediClinics are open seven days a week with extended hours.
 
Revolution Health Group, the consumer-driven healthcare company created by AOL Co-founder Steve Case, is InterFit Health’s largest investor and is providing the capital to support the national rollout of RediClinics.

InterFit Health
Since 1989, InterFit Health has provided people with easy access to convenient, accurate and affordable health screening and other personal health management services. Today the company is the largest provider of retail health screening services in the United States and RediClinic is a leader in convenient care. The company also provides health screenings, flu shots and other health-related services to major employers, and directly to consumers through its Internet site at www.interfit.com.
 
Revolution Health Group
Revolution Health Group was established in July 2005 to create the leading comprehensive consumer-centric health company. One of three business groups in the Revolution LLC family of companies, Revolution Health empowers consumers by putting them at the center of the health system, building innovative health-related companies through investments, acquisitions and partnerships. Revolution Health’s strategy is to create businesses and products that provide greater consumer choice, control and convenience in three key healthcare sectors affected by the rapid growth of the Internet and defined-contribution health plans: content; coverage; and care.