Walgreens (NYSE: WAG) (Nasdaq: WAG) and Orlando Health, a comprehensive
not-for-profit health care organization based in Orlando, Fla., today
announced a clinical collaboration that will provide coordinated and
expanded health care services, while improving patient access to
high-quality, convenient and affordable care throughout Central Florida.
The collaboration and services offered will include:
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Greater access to care with Healthcare Clinics at select Walgreens
offering evening and weekend hours, convenient locations and online
appointment scheduling
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Coordination of care for Orlando Health patients with Healthcare
Clinic providers for acute, chronic and preventive services
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Direct communication between Orlando Health physicians and Healthcare
Clinic nurse practitioners to facilitate care coordination and sharing
of patient information
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Increasing patient awareness regarding Orlando Health services, as
well as information and awareness of Healthcare Clinic services,
including routine screening, monitoring, immunizations, and clinic
locations and hours
“In today’s health care landscape, these types of innovative coordinated
care programs are vitally important to help ensure patients have access
to the quality care they need,” said Jeffrey Kang, M.D., Walgreens
senior vice president of health and wellness services and solutions.
“With our expansive retail footprint, diverse portfolio of health care
assets and proven success in collaborating with others in the medical
community, Walgreens is uniquely positioned to bridge critical gaps in
care and improve patient outcomes, furthering our mission to help
patients get, stay and live well.”
Walgreens and Orlando Health are also exploring opportunities to share
electronic medical records, with the goal of developing read-only access
to real-time patient medical information. This level of coordination
could also include creating online or call center appointment scheduling
technology to further increase patient access to services.
“A key tenet of our mission is to improve the health of the individuals
in the communities we serve, and by utilizing new approaches, such as
this relationship with Walgreens, we’ll be able to better reach and
treat the patients of Central Florida,” said Wayne Jenkins, M.D. MPH,
president, Orlando Health Physician Partners. “This relationship
represents the type of collaborative strategies that we view as
essential in the emerging health care environment. We’re confident that
by working together our two organizations can help ensure that patients
are receiving the best care, in the best locations, as well as a truly
seamless care experience.”
Orlando Health has six wholly-owned hospitals and two partnership
hospitals throughout Central Florida, a skilled nursing facility,
Physician Associates, one of the largest multi-specialty physician
practices in central Florida, consisting of more than 90 physicians in
more than 20 locations, along with more than 2,500 affiliated
physicians. The clinical collaboration includes 13 Healthcare Clinic
locations at select Walgreens in nearby cities including Orlando,
Kissimmee, Apopka, Winter Springs, Clermont, Lake Buena Vista, Lake
Mary, Winter Park and Windermere, Florida.
“Orlando Health is an established health care leader in Central Florida,
and its integrated approach to improving the community’s health is a
great strategic fit for Walgreens and our mission,” Kang said.
About Walgreens
As the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2012 sales of $72
billion, Walgreens (www.walgreens.com)
vision is to be the first choice in health and daily living for everyone
in America, and beyond. Each day, Walgreens provides more than 6 million
customers the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and
services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness
services and advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of
pharmacy services includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility
and mail service, along with respiratory services. These services
improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers,
managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers
and the public sector. The company operates 8,105 drugstores in all 50
states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Take Care Health
Systems is a Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and most
comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers, medical
practices, and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 700
locations throughout the country.
About Orlando Health
Orlando Health is a $1.9 billion not-for-profit health care organization
and a community-based network of physician practices, hospitals and care
centers throughout Central Florida. Physician Associates, one of the
largest multi-specialty practices in central Florida, consisting of more
than 90 physicians in more than 20 locations, became a member of the
Orlando Health family in January, 2013.
The organization, which includes the area’s only Level One Trauma
Centers for adults and pediatrics, is a statutory teaching hospital
system that offers both specialty and community hospitals. They are:
Orlando Regional Medical Center; Dr. P. Phillips Hospital; South
Seminole Hospital; Health Central Hospital, South Lake Hospital (50
percent affiliation); St. Cloud Regional Medical Center (20 percent
affiliation), MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando – the first affiliate of
one of the nation’s premier cancer centers, The University of Texas MD
Anderson Cancer Center in Houston; and the Arnold Palmer Medical Center,
which consists of Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Winnie Palmer
Hospital for Women & Babies. Orlando Health’s areas of clinical
excellence are heart and vascular, cancer care, neurosciences, surgery,
pediatric orthopedics and sports medicine, neonatology, and women’s
health.
Orlando Health is one of Central Florida’s largest employers with nearly
16,000 employees and more than 2,500 affiliated physicians supporting
our philosophy of providing high quality care and service that revolves
around patients’ needs. We prove this everyday with over 110,000
inpatient admissions and nearly 690,000 outpatient visits each year. In
all, Orlando Health serves 1.6 million Central Florida residents and
nearly 3,000 international patients annually. Additionally, Orlando
Health provides approximately $239 million in support of community
health needs. More information can be found at www.orlandohealth.com.
Copyright Business Wire 2013