Walgreen's latest effort is aimed at delivering lower prescription drug costs and more convenient access to medications for seniors.
One might—and would—expect such a move from Walgreens, but Kroger's expansion further into health care might give an onlooker pause.
Still, that onlooker would have to have been pretty oblivious to other efforts to incorporate health care pockets within other businesses. But Walgreen's partnering with United Healthcare to open UnitedHealthcare Medicare services centers within Walgreens stores in five metropolitan areas also involves collaboration between the two companies and new AARP Medicare Advantage Walgreens plans from UnitedHealthcare.
That effort is aimed at delivering lower prescription drug costs and more convenient access to medications for seniors—who can also make an appointment for an in-store annual wellness visit at the Medicare services center in Walgreens through UnitedHealthcare's HouseCalls program. The UnitedHealthcare Medicare services centers will begin to open in January 2020 at Walgreens stores in the Las Vegas, Phoenix, Cleveland, Denver and Memphis markets.
Meanwhile, Kroger's 360care is, according to a Kroger release, an initiative that enables "hospitals and health care networks to leverage Kroger resources to provide broader access and value-based health care for their patients." According to the Louisville Business First, the supermarket chain already has more than 2,000 pharmacies, as well as 215 Little Clinic locations in stores in nine states, including Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio.
Altogether, Kroger has 2,759 stores in 35 states, but this recent partnership with a Tennessee hospital and health care network expands their services—and more such arrangements with other health care networks are planned.
Ascension Saint Thomas Health operates 97 practice sites with more than 500 physicians and advanced practitioners. Kroger has 116 pharmacies and 40 clinics in Tennessee. The supermarket's existing clinics, according to the report, "offer licensed medical care involving a variety of services, including cold and flu treatments, vaccinations, screenings, sports physicals and ongoing health management" in locations that are open seven days a week. In addition, customers can access services from registered dietitians and nutrition techs.
"If we in grocery are truly going to improve health outcomes beyond screenings, were going to have to get in deep with how patients are living their life," Jim Kirby, Kroger's senior director of pharmacy services, said in August. "This is something that we really harp on at Kroger. We have to engage every patient, every time."
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Marlene Satter
Marlene Y. Satter has worked in and written about the financial industry for decades.
