Courtesy CVS Health
- CVS Health, the largest pharmacy chain in the US, set up its first three "HealthHUBs" in Houston in February.
- The stores have an increased focus on health services, including a wellness center and more chronic care management for diseases like diabetes.
- Take a look inside one of the new stores that could change how Americans get their healthcare.
CVS Health and Aetna officially merged at the end of 2018, combining a chain of nearly 10,000 pharmacies that also owns a drug benefits business with one of the biggest US health insurers.
The result is an entirely new healthcare company that can wield a tremendous amount of power over how healthcare gets paid for and provided to patients.
One of the ways CVS is focusing that power is through new "HealthHUB" stores, the first three of which opened in Houston in February. The stores have an increased focus on health services, including a wellness center and more chronic care management for diseases like diabetes, committing about 20% of the physical store space to health endeavors rather than snacks or other convenient store supplies.
The strategy also helps CVS find new use for the floor space in its 9,800 locations, as customers increasingly shop for everyday goods on websites like Amazon. And providing more care in stores can help CVS counter forays by rivals like Amazon into healthcare. Amazon, for its part, acquired the pharmacy startup PillPack last year, marking its entry into the drug-delivery business.
Read more: CVS Health just revealed a key piece of its plan to change how Americans get healthcare
Walking up to the store, it’s clear that the location is going to have a different feel to the traditional part pharmacy, part convenience store feel most CVS stores have. On the doors, it lays out what’s inside with a big "Welcome to the HealthHUB" sign.
Courtesy CVS Health
Inside, there’s a familiar feel to the beauty products, snacks, and other supplies at the front of the store. An aisle leads toward the health services along the back and sides of the store.
Courtesy CVS Health
Here’s what the main meeting area for the health hub looks like. This location has a MinuteClinic, labeled over the top of the greeting area. CVS already has about 1,100 MinuteClinics across its stores.
Courtesy CVS Health
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- A leaked letter is fueling a new fight in healthcare over who’s to blame for the high cost of prescription drugs
- Trendy startup Hims wants to shake up men’s health by prescribing generic Viagra online and is nearing a $1 billion valuation. But a move to relax guidelines has raised concerns among some of its doctor partners.
- America’s largest supermarket chain is betting it can keep you healthy by tracking your groceries and prescriptions
Source: Business Insider