Walgreens adds telehealth providers, new features to Find Care platform

Walgreens is expanding the Walgreens Find Care platform with new services and features in an effort to encourage care access, while supporting social distancing. The company said that the efforts come at the same time as a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance encourages using telehealth to address medical needs, while managing the impact of COVID-19.

“Connecting patients to telehealth services from trusted local providers is more important now than ever before as people turn to digital solutions to help minimize exposure to COVID-19,” said Richard Ashworth, Walgreens president. “Customers can use Walgreens Find Care to help navigate their healthcare experience — from initial consultations to getting their prescriptions filled — without ever leaving their home.” 

The Find Care platform now includes national and regional partners that offer access to more than 30 providers with the ability to treat more than 100 conditions. Walgreens said these providers help expand access in some of the hardest-hit states, including New York, California, Illinois, New Jersey, Michigan and Florida.

Find Care also includes a COVID-19 Risk Assessment feature, powered by Microsoft Healthcare Bot. It also has a Find My Clinical Trial feature to enable patients to learn more about COVID-19 clinical trials.

“The recent expansion of Walgreens Find Care is another example of how we are enabling patients to get care when and how they need it,” said Giovanni Monti, senior vice president of healthcare services, Walgreens Boots Alliance. “We continue to grow our partnerships with some of the most trusted local and national providers to offer telehealth solutions that can help patients better meet their acute and chronic care needs, especially during this unprecedented time of social distancing.”

Walgreens said that the use of its mobile app is up 22% year over year and 12% year to date. New provider collaborations include AmWell, Hospital Sisters Health System Medical Group, McLaren Health Care and Novant Health. The expanded partnerships are with Heal, Providence St. Joseph Health (as part of an expansion with ExpressCare Virtual) and Village Medical.