CVS Health names four new clinical affiliations
WOONSOCKET, R.I. - CVS Health announced Thursday it has entered into new clinical affiliations with four leading health care providers, including John Muir Health in California; University of Chicago Medical Center in Illinois; Novant Health, serving the Winston-Salem area, in North Carolina; and University of Michigan Health System in Michigan.
"We are pleased to work with these exceptional health care providers throughout the country to develop collaborative programs that enhance access to patient care, improve health outcomes and lower health care costs in the communities they serve," stated Troyen Brennan, chief medical officer, CVS Health. "By allowing our electronic health records and information systems to communicate and share important information about the patients we collectively serve, we will have a more comprehensive view of our patients, which can aid in health care decision making and help ensure patients adhere to important medications for chronic diseases."
Through these clinical affiliations, CVS Health will provide prescription and visit information to the participating health care organizations by enabling communication between the company's secured electronic health record systems, which will help enhance clinical care for patients. In addition, patients will continue to have access to clinical support, medication counseling, chronic disease monitoring and wellness programs at CVS/pharmacy stores and MinuteClinic, the retail medical clinic of CVS Health.
Health care providers at participating affiliates will receive data on interventions conducted by CVS pharmacists to improve medication adherence for their patients. The affiliation also encourages collaboration between the health care providers and MinuteClinic providers to improve coordination of care for patients seen at MinuteClinic locations. Through this collaboration, the affiliate organizations and MinuteClinic practitioners will also work together on planning strategies around chronic care and wellness.
If more comprehensive care is needed, patients can follow up with their primary care provider and have access to affiliates' services as appropriate. For those patients who do not have regular access to health care, MinuteClinic provides information to help patients in finding a primary care physician and a greater opportunity for continuity of health care services.
MinuteClinic, CVS/pharmacy and the participating health care providers will begin to work toward streamlining and enabling communication through their EHR systems. This will include the electronic sharing of messages and alerts from CVS/pharmacy to affiliates' physicians regarding medication non-adherence issues. In addition, MinuteClinic will electronically share patient visit summaries with the patient's primary care physician when they are part of an affiliate organization and with the patient's consent.
The new affiliations announced here bring the total number of clinical collaborations for CVS Health and MinuteClinic to nearly 70 major health systems and health care providers across the country.