CVS announced last week that it will be expanding its HealthHUB program to 1,500 stores by 2021 as part of its promise to transform the consumer health care experience in America following its acquisition of Aetna in November 2018.
CVS wants consumers to think of its stores as a one-stop destination for all of their health needs. Remodeled HealthHUB stores will offer a range of new and improved services including dietitians, nurse practitioners, and lab services, and will offer on-site treatment for chronic conditions like diabetes and asthma.
Alan Lotvin, MD, Chief Transformation Officer for CVS Health, tells cvshealth.com, “Improving health outcomes starts with transforming the consumer health experience, connecting with people in their communities. Through physical and virtual interactions, we provide convenient, personalized and integrated access to health care support and services.”
The new HealthHUB format includes a newly established role called the care concierge, responsible for directing customers to health services and educating patients on in-store services and events. The focus of HealthHUB is to recommend next best clinical actions and drive medical cost savings for consumers. They will offer expanded health services like nutrition counseling and blood pressure screenings but have less shelf and floor space devoted to items like greeting cards and magazines, personal care and beauty, and snack food and beverages.
CVS launched three HealthHUBs in Houston earlier this year as a pilot program and is now planning to open stores in Houston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Southern New Jersey, and Tampa later this year. They plan to launch 50 new HealthHUB stores this year, but the bulk of their expansion will be split between 2020 and 2021.
CVS also offers Minute Clinics (walk-in health clinics located in CVS pharmacies) and offers health insurance through Aetna, which it bought for $70 billion in 2018, and owns pharmacy benefits manager Caremark. However, the company is facing opposition from drug store competitors including Walmart, Amazon, and Costco, which have all bulked up their pharmacy business and offer personal care products and snacks at lower costs than drugstores.
To learn more about CVS’s announcement last week that it will be expanding HealthHUB to 1,500 new stores by 2021, visit here.
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