Everyone can recognize the need for convenient healthcare. Rick Krieger, founder of Minute Clinic, realized that although everyone needs reliable healthcare, many people don't have access to it. After waiting for hours in an urgent care center with a sick child, Krieger decided that he could make doctor visits better. Krieger teamed up with Douglas Smith, M.D., and Steve Pontius to create QuickMedx (which would become Minute Clinic in December 2002), opening their first location in May 2000. They focused on some of the most common ailments including Strep throat, mono, ear infections, sinus infections, female bladder infections, and pregnancy testing for much less than it would cost to go to a hospital or other traditional health care clinic. Minute Clinic provides an online estimate for what each consultation will cost (they base these costs off of zip codes) and offer consultations with physicians, prescriptions, and an on site pharmacy, making visits to the doctors convenient and less stressful than ever before.

While everyone wants affordable healthcare, they also want safe and accurate information; this is why Minute Clinic has instituted a number of innovations and safeguards to keep patients well informed. Minute Clinic uses focused treatment, qualified clinicians, quality control, and adherence to national clinical practice guidelines to make sure that their patients have the best possible experience. Minute Clinic employs "masters prepared nurse practitioners and physician assistants [who] possess the licenses, certifications and clinical experience that ensure effective treatment of your common illnesses." To further ensure top notch care they also use an Electronic Medical Records system that establishes guidelines for how each procedure should be done.

Today Minute Clinic boasts more than 350,000 patients with a customer satisfaction rating of 99%, and they continue to work towards making healthcare affordable for the uninsured, self employed, and major health insurance providers. Thanks to booming business, Minute Clinic was able to add health care centers in Target stores and corporate offices in the Twin Cities (Minnesota) area in 2002. A year and a half later they expanded again, this time reaching Target stores in Baltimore and CVS/pharmacies in Minnesota and Maryland. Minute Clinic was so popular at CVS/pharmacy locations that they added more care centers in Tennessee, Indiana, North Carolina, and Washington D.C.

Minute Clinic saves time and money (with the average procedure lasting about fifteen minutes) and is disrupting the traditionally expensive health care market by offering affordable treatment and convenience, two things that any sick patient can appreciate. Their understanding of sick people who want timely care has the potential to reinvent the world of healthcare, as they have created a successful model others will no doubt want to copy.