CVS Health expands health partnerships into Louisiana and Mississippi
WOONSOCKET, R.I. - CVS Health on Wednesday announced new clinical affiliations with Ochsner Health System in Louisiana and the University of Mississippi Medical Center, including their Center for Telehealth.
"In this era of health care reform, we are pleased to work with these health care organizations 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 integrating our electronic medical records and information systems, we will collectively 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 through the integration of secured electronic health record systems.
Affiliates' health care providers 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. Physicians affiliated with the participating organizations will collaborate with MinuteClinic practitioners to work closely on joint clinical programs and care coordination activities.
MinuteClinic, CVS/pharmacy and the participating health care organizations will begin to work toward integrating EHR systems to streamline and enhance communication. This integration will include the electronic sharing of messages and alerts from CVS/pharmacy to the health care organizations' 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. MinuteClinic will continue its standard practice of sending patient visit summaries to primary care providers who are not affiliated with one of these participating health care organizations via fax or mail, with patient consent.
CVS/pharmacy currently has more than 7,800 retail pharmacy locations across the U.S. where CVS pharmacists provide counseling to patients to help them be adherent to their chronic disease medications. In addition, the company's retail clinic arm MinuteClinic plays an important role by providing patients with walk-in health care. There are more than 900 MinuteClinic walk-in medical clinics available at CVS/pharmacy retail stores.
The new clinical affiliations announced here bring the total number of health system and health care provider affiliations for CVS Health and MinuteClinic to more than 50 major health systems and health care providers across the country.