Walgreens to Offer Large-Scale, Full-Service Physician Offices At Stores
Village Medical at Walgreens will staff a multi-disciplinary team, with pharmacists functioning as key members of the integrated model.
Walgreens and VillageMD announced today their commitment to making Walgreens the first national pharmacy chain to integrate physician offices at their locations on a large scale, effectively providing full-service to their patients through an integrated model.
The partnership aims to open between 500 and 700 “Village Medical at Walgreens,” a full-service clinic led by physicians, in upwards of 30 US markets within the next 5 years. Village Medical at Walgreens plans to staff an estimated 3600 primary care providers, with recruitment being led by VillageMD. Pharmacists will be uniquely integrated as critical members of the multi-disciplinary team, according to Walgreens.
“This rollout is a major advancement of one of Walgreens Boots Alliance’s 4 key strategic priorities, Creating Neighborhood Health Destinations,” said Stefano Pessina, executive vice chairman and chief executive officer, Walgreens Boots Alliance. “These clinics at our conveniently located stores are a significant step forward in creating the pharmacy of the future, meeting many essential health needs all under one roof as well as through other channels.”
The expanded partners have been conducting a trial of this new integrated model in the Houston, Texas region, and reported favorable results since opening the test location in November; patients rated the full-service doctor office highly, with Net Promoter Scores above 90.
The prevalence of multiple chronic conditions in the United States, and thus increasingly complicated maintenance of these conditions, renders the full-service model critical in its ability to offer expanded and accessible health care options to Americans. Six in 10 Americans live with at least 1 chronic condition requiring multiple daily medications, and data stemming from Village Medical clinics have demonstrated the importance of integrating primary and pharmacy care, as it supports medication adherence and improved patient outcomes.
“In the US, we spend $4 trillion per year on health care, over 85% of that is tied to patients with chronic diseases. To improve our healthcare system and reverse the trajectory of health spending, we must meet the needs of all patients. This partnership allows us to unleash the power of primary care doctors and pharmacists, enabling them to work in a coordinated way to enhance the patient experience,” said Tim Barry, chairman and chief executive officer, VillageMD. “The results of our initial pilot clinics highlight that these outcomes are infinitely achievable.”
The clinics will accept a wide range of health insurance options, as well as comprehensive primary care across a broad range of physician services, according to Walgreens. Continual care will be available through telehealth and at-home visits.
Reference:
- Walgreens and VillageMD to Open 500 to 700 Full-Service Doctor Offices within Next Five Years in a Majoir Industry First. News Release. Businesswire; July 8, 2020. Accessed July 8, 2020. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200708005320/en/Walgreens-VillageMD-Open-500-700-Full-Service-Doctor.
