Drugstores like Walgreens and rival CVS Health
Corp. typically tuck small clinics in the back of
their stores to dole out flu shots or treat minor
ailments like sinus infections or poison ivy. But
Walgreens said last fall it was going to close
nearly 40% of those clinics.
The company has been looking for a way
to provide more comprehensive care, said
executive Alex Gourlay.
“We are very confident that this is the right
model for the future,” said Gourlay, Walgreens
global co-chief operating officer.
He noted that the primary care clinics will make
it easier for pharmacists to work with doctors to
make sure medicines don’t conflict or to help
explain prescriptions to patients.
The clinics will recruit doctors who already have
patients and will focus on caring for those with
chronic diseases. They will use social workers
to make sure patients have stable food sources
and living situations. The clinics also will lean on
things like telemedicine to help stay in touch
with patients.
“It’s really about a different model of primary
care,” said VillageMD CEO Tim Barry.
Insurers and other payers have become more
interested in covering care or assistance
delivered outside the doctor’s office. The idea is
to keep patients, especially those with chronic
conditions, healthy and out of expensive
hospitals or emergency rooms.
Last year, CVS Health laid out plans to expand
a new store format that provides dietitians and
helps people monitor chronic diseases but does
not include doctors.