WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Health and Cleveland Clinic have broadened their eight-year clinical affiliation to enhance access to care for patients throughout northeastern Ohio and Florida.

The companies said Tuesday that through the broadened relationship, MinuteClinic, CVS Pharmacy and Cleveland Clinic can improve access to and coordination of care for patients, including clinical support, medication counseling, chronic disease monitoring and wellness programs at CVS Pharmacy and MinuteClinic locations.

Joint clinical programs also will be developed to address high rates of hypertension and other chronic conditions, and help patients manage their medications ­better.

“Our clinical collaboration with Cleveland Clinic has successfully increased access to care for thousands of patients,” Sharon Vitti, senior vice president and executive director of MinuteClinic, said in a statement. “By expanding and enhancing our affiliation, we will broaden electronic communication between providers in both organizations and leverage population health data to help improve the health outcomes and reduce the cost of care for the patients we serve.”

As part of the expanded relationship, CVS Health also has joined the Cleveland Clinic Quality Alliance, one of the largest clinically integrated networks of providers collaborating on ways to enhance chronic disease management. The two organizations will share standard protocols and quality metrics and review population health data through integrated, secured systems.

“This collaboration enhances the quality of care patients will receive and allows us to oversee their care more seamlessly than we do today,” stated Dr. Michael Rabovsky, chairman of the Cleveland Clinic Department of Family Medicine. “As part of our Quality Alliance, CVS Health joins our clinically integrated network, which uniquely positions us to share treatment guidelines and protocols and puts the patient at the center of a larger system of care when they need it.”

MinuteClinic, CVS Pharmacy and Cleveland Clinic will also work toward streamlining and enhancing communication through their electronic health record systems. That will include the electronic sharing of messages and alerts about a patient’s prescription information, visit summaries, diagnosis and treatment protocol, with the patient’s consent, directly between the treating physicians and CVS Pharmacy and MinuteClinic. The care coordination and communication between health care providers delivers a more comprehensive view of patients, aiding health care decision making and disease management, the companies said.