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Take Care Clinics Expand Scope of Health Care Services to Include Chronic Condition
Management and Additional Preventive Health Offerings
Walgreens subsidiary Take Care Health now offers most comprehensive service offering
in retail clinic industry
DEERFIELD, Ill. – April 4, 2013 –– Access to health care services is an ongoing challenge to
the U.S. health care system. With a physician shortage, aging population, a growing prevalence
of chronic diseases and up to 30 million people projected to gain insurance coverage in 2014
through the Affordable Care Act, the issue will become even more critical – and may further
impact both patients and the health care system at large.
To help meet the need for greater access to affordable health services and bridge gaps in patient
care, while also improving care coordination, Walgreens (NYSE:WAG) (Nasdaq:WAG) today
announced its Take Care Clinics are expanding the scope of health care services offered. The
new services, now available at the more than 330 Take Care Clinics located at select Walgreens
(excludes clinics in Missouri), include assessment, treatment and management for chronic
conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, asthma and others, as well as
additional preventive health services.
“With this service expansion, Take Care Clinics now provide the most comprehensive service
offering within the retail clinic industry, and can play an even more valuable role in helping
patients get, stay and live well,” said Dr. Jeffrey Kang, senior vice president of health and
wellness services and solutions, Walgreens. “Through greater access to services and a broader
focus on disease prevention and chronic condition management, our clinics can connect and
work with physicians and other providers to better help support the increasing demands on our
health care system today.”
Service Expansion
Under the new service expansion, in addition to chronic condition management, Take Care
Clinic providers can evaluate, recommend and order preventive health services, such as
screenings or lab tests, based on a patient’s age, gender and family history.
Retail clinics have continued to gain greater consumer acceptance, popularity and recognition for
delivering quality care. A recent Rand Corporation study showed the use of walk-in retail clinics
is on the rise – increasing 10-fold over the past two years.1 Studies have also found that retail
clinics provide care for routine illnesses at a lower cost and similar quality as physician offices,
urgent care centers or emergency rooms.2
Retail clinic industry estimates show that more than one in three patients do not have a regular
physician.3 Walgreens and Take Care Health strongly encourage all patients to have a
designated primary care physician and medical home for ongoing medical needs and routine
exams, and under this new service expansion will continue to work collaboratively with
providers to support and complement a patient’s physician care plan.
“The existing gaps in patient care and demands on an already overburdened health care system
are all projected to worsen with an influx of new patients under health care reform,” said Heather
Helle, divisional vice president, consumer solutions group, Walgreens. “Walgreens is stepping
up to be part of the solution. As innovative care delivery models emerge, we are uniquely
positioned to play an integral role in addressing the needs of patients, payers, and providers and
to help shape the future of health care delivery in the U.S.”
Take Care Clinics are open seven days a week, with extended evening and weekend hours, and
offer walk-in availability as well as same-day online appointment scheduling. Take Care Clinics
accept most major insurance plans including Medicare and Medicaid, and offer affordable,
transparent pricing for those without insurance coverage. Take Care’s board-certified nurse
practitioners and physician assistants deliver patient-centric care, driving patient satisfaction
rates that are consistently greater than 90 percent. Take Care providers use nationally accepted,
evidence-based clinical guidelines to ensure quality care delivery.
“Our goal is to coordinate with physicians in order to help patients manage their chronic
conditions in alignment with their physician’s treatment plan,” said Alan E. London, chief
medical officer, Take Care Clinics. “Walgreens and Take Care Health also continue to develop
clinical affiliations with leading health systems to coordinate patient care and to help meet the
triple aim of improving health outcomes and patient satisfaction while reducing health care
costs.”
1
) RAND Corporation, “Trends in Retail Clinic Use Among the Commercially Insured,” November 2011http://www.rand.org/news/press/2011/11/22.html
2
RAND Corporation, “Comparing Costs and Quality of Care at Retail Clinics with That of Other Medical Settings for 3 Common Illnesses,”
Annals of Internal Medicine, Sept. 1, 2009, http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20090915.html
3
Convenient Care Association: http://www.ccaclinics.org/images/stories/downloads/factsheets/cca_facsheet_increasing_access.pdf
Clinical Affiliations Further Walgreens Efforts to Coordinate and Improve Patient Care
Clinical affiliations are aimed at increasing opportunities for clinical coordination and improving
patient access to health care services available at Take Care Clinics. Through these programs,
professionals from the health systems share information on Take Care Clinics and other health
care options when their locations are closed or unable to schedule an appointment within a
patient’s desired timeframe.
“In a post-ACA environment, managing the health of broad populations is going to increasingly
require coordination among partners across the spectrum of care,” said David B. Nash, founding
dean, Jefferson School of Population Health in Philadelphia. “I have long been an advocate of
the retail clinic model. Take Care Health’s expansion of services and ongoing formation of
clinical affiliations with leading health systems represents the direction health care is trending
and the type of innovation that will be the key to improving outcomes and increasing access.”
“One of our key goals is to improve access and care for patients,” said Tim Hobbs, M.D., chief
physician executive at Community Health Network in Indianapolis. “Through our relationship
with Walgreens, we are bringing new thinking to local health care delivery and helping to ensure
that patients are receiving the best care at the best location. We look forward to enhancing our
relationship to find other unique ways to improve the patient experience.”
About Walgreens
As the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2012 sales of $72 billion, Walgreens
(www.walgreens.com) vision is to become America’s first choice for health and daily living.
Each day, Walgreens provides more than 6 million customers the most convenient, multichannel
access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness
services and advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy services
includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility and mail service, along with respiratory
services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including
employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers and the
public sector. The company operates 8,077 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia
and Puerto Rico. Take Care Health Systems is a Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and
most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers and in-store convenient
care clinics, with more than 700 locations throughout the country.
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