Half of the primary care worksite health centers managed by Walgreens Employer Solutions Group are now accredited as medical homes, according to an announcement by Walgreens and the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care.
Walgreens also plans to receive accreditation for all of its employer-based primary care centers during the first half of 2013.
"We're proud to have received accreditation from AAAHC, an organization that shares our commitment to ensuring health care delivery meets the highest-quality standards and is coordinated across the health care spectrum, benefitting both employers and employees," says Trent Riley, divisional vice president for Walgreens Health and Wellness division. "Walgreens has demonstrated how investing in worksite health programs can reduce costs and improve health outcomes for our clients, and this recognition underscores the broad capabilities and quality of care delivered by the dedicated health care providers at our centers."
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During the accreditation process, which takes one year, AAAHC representatives visited worksite health centers at multiple Walgreens' client sites and conducted on-site surveys to determine whether these facilities satisfied AAAHC criteria as a Medical Home.
As part of the requirements to be accredited as a medical home, they must be patient-centered, physician-directed, comprehensive and accessible. The medical homes also are to coordinate care with all of the patient's primary care and specialty care provider teams.
"The delivery of worksite health care continues to gain momentum as a valuable alternative to traditional points of care, and we look forward to continuing to work with Walgreens to complete its accreditation process," says Dr. John Burke, president and CEO of AAAHC.
A report from Towers Watson and National Business Group on health even finds that more employers are interested in offering on-site health and wellness services. In fact, 23 percent of respondents offer on-site health services while 12 percent of respondents expect to provide services this year.
AAAHC initially established the first medical home and became the first organization to provide an on-site survey for medical homes. These surveys are peer based, including physicians, nurses and clinical administrators in ambulatory health care delivery, to create a more demanding process looking at the quality of care.
Walgreens worksite health centers use advanced analytics to create custom strategies and health and wellness services to achieve client needs while expanding the patient-centered medical home model. They are also responsible for implementing medical neighborhoods to connect the worksite health center with Walgreens community pharmacies and other providers. Physicians, nurse practitioners and other medical professionals staff the worksite health centers.
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