Compete by Bursting the Bubble: How MinuteClinic Met the Unmet Health Care Needs of Millions—Cheaply and Conveniently

MinuteClinic provides medical attention for simple complaints that don’t require a doctor’s attention. Nurse practitioners at MinuteClinic kiosks can administer shots, treat sore throats, prescribe flu medicine, and perform other such basic medical services without a doctor on the premises. MinuteClinic is a classic example of a company whose founders recognized a significant unmet consumer need and seized the opportunity by borrowing an idea from a seemingly unrelated industry. What began as a notion for a few partners in Minneapolis eight years ago has blossomed into a coast-to-coast operation serving more than 500,000 customers a year. And when CVS Caremark Corporation bought the company in 2007, the all-cash payoff for the founders was $170 ...