Walgreens CMO talks to state legislatures about expanding healthcare access
TAMPA, Fla. — Walgreens' chief medical officer Cheryl Pegus delivered a keynote session Tuesday at the National Conference of State Legislatures Fall Forum here. The presentation, titled “Expanding Access to Care for Women and Exploring Health Delivery Models,” outlined the innovative approaches in health care today, and shared how Walgreens complements these new models.
“Women are often the gate-keepers of their family’s health — responsible for the wellbeing of their families but also themselves,” Pegus said. “With today’s busy lifestyles and rising healthcare costs, individuals, employers and payers are looking for innovative solutions to improve access and outcomes while managing costs.”
Pegus highlighted new approaches that are helping to fill the gaps of primary care, contribute to quality chronic disease management and increase access for traditional underserved populations. These included the expanded roles of nurse practitioners and community pharmacists and the increasing access to retail clinics as an affordable and convenient option.
Pegus was named Walgreens CMO in May 2010 and has more than 18 years of clinical practice and industry experience. Previously, she was general manager and chief medical officer for SymCare Personalized Health Solutions. Prior to joining SymCare in 2007, she held a number of positions at Aetna, eventually becoming head of clinical products for the company’s Medical Products business unit. She was also medical director for the cardiovascular risk factors group at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. Pegus is a board-certified physician with subspecialty training in cardiology.
The National Conference of State Legislatures is a bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the nation's 50 states, its commonwealths and territories. NCSL provides research, technical assistance to policymakers. The leadership of NCSL is composed of legislators and staff from across the country.
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