Walgreens, Humana team up on senior health care
The new collaboration represents the pharmacy giant’s first step into full-fledged preventative services.
Walgreens is teaming up with Humana to offer easily accessible health care hubs to seniors at some of its stores.
The first stage of the project will involve two Walgreens stores in the Kansas City area, beginning this fall. The in-store clinics will provide seniors with primary care services, and an on-site Humana representative will offer patients information about insurance and Medicare.
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“This unique partnership supports Humana’s multi-faceted approach to health care in this community and is a continuation of our senior-focused care strategy, which is centered on integrating care through clinical programs that intersect health and lifestyle,” said Humana CEO Bruce Broussard in a statement.
The retail giant is betting that the convenience of seeing a doctor, filling prescriptions and getting information about insurance options at the same site will be a major selling point for the burgeoning population of Medicare beneficiaries.
This isn’t Walgreens’ first venture into on-site clinics. The stores often provide various medical services in addition to their pharmacies. Some have nurses on-site during flu season to provide vaccinations while others have medical personnel available to treat patients for colds or the flu.
The new collaboration represents the pharmacy giant’s first step into full-fledged preventative services. The store is hoping that seniors will begin opting for Walgreens as their primary source of preventative care.
CVS, one of Walgreens’ chief competitors, has signaled that it has similar plans in the works as part of its bid to purchase Aetna, the nation’s third largest health insurer.
Like Humana, Aetna offers Medicare Advantage plans and is hoping to gain market share in that rapidly-growing market of seniors. Like Walgreens, CVS offers a Medicare prescription drug plan.
Walgreens and CVS are both wary of possible competition from Amazon, which has signaled an interest in getting involved in the pharmacy business.
Stymied by federal regulators in its attempts to acquire Rite Aid, Walgreens settled for purchasing nearly 2,000 of that company’s stores.