MISHAWAKA, Ind. — Regional health care system Franciscan Health has formed a clinical affiliation with CVS Health.

Under the clinical collaboration, Franciscan Health patients in Indiana and Illinois will have access to clinical support, medication counseling, chronic disease monitoring and wellness programs at CVS Pharmacy drug stores and CVS MinuteClinic walk-in medical clinics.

CVS Health also will provide enhanced prescription and visit information to Franciscan Health by enabling communication between secured electronic health record (EHR) systems.

“We are pleased to partner with Franciscan Health to increase patient access to health care, improve health outcomes and lower health care costs,” Sharon Vitti, senior vice president and executive director of MinuteClinic, said in a statement. “This relationship will help us better serve patients by ensuring improved coordination of care and improved communication between Franciscan Health and CVS Health MinuteClinic providers.”

Overall, MinuteClinic has 45 clinics in Indiana and 55 locations in Illinois.

Improving coordination of care between Franciscan Health primary care providers and CVS-MinuteClinic providers is a linchpin of the affiliation, the companies said.  Through the collaboration, Franciscan Health and CVS-MinuteClinic providers will work together on planning strategies around chronic care and wellness. If more comprehensive care is needed, patients can follow up with their primary care provider and have access to additional care services. For patients without regular access to health care, CVS-MinuteClinic can provide information to help patients find a primary care doctor.

In addition, CVS Health and Franciscan Health have worked to enable and streamline communication through their EHR systems, including the sharing of messages and alerts from CVS Pharmacy to Franciscan physicians regarding patient medication nonadherence and data on interventions conducted by CVS pharmacists to improve adherence. With the patient consent, CVS-MinuteClinic can electronically shares patient visit summaries with the patient’s doctor.

“Partnering with CVS Health, through its CVS Pharmacy and MinuteClinic locations, further enhances the overall continuity of care for patients in the communities we serve,” stated Kevin Leahy, president and chief executive officer of Franciscan Alliance, the parent of Franciscan Health.

Franciscan Health’s care network includes 14 hospitals, several physician group, and numerous physician offices, urgent care centers and outpatient clinics in Indiana and Illinois.