Woonsocket – October 14, 2026 -- CVS Health's MinuteClinic has earned its seventh consecutive Joint Commission Ambulatory Health Care Accreditation, covering more than 800 locations nationwide and MinuteClinic Virtual Care, and for the first time the survey assessed its primary care sites under Medical Center standards.
Approximately 80 percent of the locations surveyed offer primary care and were evaluated under those standards. More than 65 percent of all MinuteClinic locations now offer primary care to patients 18 and older through health system and payer affiliations.
Joint Commission surveyors visited more than 80 sites in 17 states and Washington, D.C.
The on-site evaluation ran from July 13 to 17, 2026. Surveyors reviewed care coordination, electronic health record use, infection prevention and control, medication management, and patient education and safety. They also assessed processes supporting ongoing patient relationships, care planning and preventive care, and extended the review to virtual care, including behavioral health.
The survey examined MinuteClinic's adult primary care practice, its aligned health system affiliations, expanded behavioral health and virtual care offerings, and improvements to electronic health record safety and interoperability.
Medical Center standards raise the bar on longitudinal care and follow-up
Those standards place greater emphasis on longitudinal care, referrals and follow-up, diagnostic test results, and continuity of care within a primary care model. CVS Health says the result tells patients, payers and the wider health care community that MinuteClinic is held to medical-center-level requirements for infection control, medication management and lab test quality and safety.
Jon Thiboutot, President of Retail Health at CVS Health, said the company is extending, rather than loosening, the rigor that has defined MinuteClinic for 20 years as it takes on more longitudinal and preventive care relationships.
Accreditation carries Gold Seal and runs up to three years
MinuteClinic became the first retail clinic in the U.S. to earn Joint Commission accreditation in 2006 and has held it continuously since. The current accreditation is valid for up to three years. Joint Commission accredits more than 2,200 organizations under its Ambulatory Health Care Accreditation program.
MinuteClinic offers 195 services beyond adult primary care
The network of board-certified advanced practice providers serves patients 18 months and older. Nurse practitioners and physician associates deliver prevention and wellness services, including weight-loss and women's health, plus management of chronic cardiometabolic conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. Virtual Care is available 24/7 nationwide.
MinuteClinic reports an in-clinic Net Promoter Score above 80. According to the source, health care scores generally range from +30 to +50, and anything above +70 is considered world class. Most major health insurance is accepted, and self-pay options are available.