In a marriage of giants, Allina Hospitals and Clinics is teaming up with MinuteClinic to coordinate care for patients and expand medical services down the road. Allina is the biggest hospital and clinic group in the Twin Cities, with 11 hospitals and 90 clinics. MinuteClinic, the pioneer of bare-bones retail kiosks staffed by nurse practitioners, has 24 locations in the Twin Cities and 500 nationwide. The deal is a sign of how far retail clinics have come, from being viewed with fear and suspicion by doctors to being essentially partners with the medical establishment. This is the second such partnership for MinuteClinic, coming after a similar deal with the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
