WellStar Health System and Walgreens (NYSE: WAG) (Nasdaq: WAG) today
announced a clinical collaboration agreement that will provide
coordinated and expanded health care services, while improving access to
high-quality, convenient and affordable care for patients in the
northwest Atlanta market.
WellStar Urgent Care Centers and physician practices will work with
Healthcare Clinic at select Walgreens to handle serious conditions
outside of the clinics’ scope of practice, and to help manage the
treatment of chronic diseases. While Walgreens and Healthcare Clinic
strongly encourage all patients to have a designated primary care
physician and medical home for ongoing needs, the collaboration will
provide WellStar patients access to quality care seven days a week. The
collaboration will include direct communication between WellStar
physicians and Healthcare Clinic nurse practitioners to facilitate care
coordination and sharing of patient information, and enhanced awareness
of Healthcare Clinic at select Walgreens and WellStar services.
“This collaboration extends quality care directly into our communities
to provide greater access for patients,” said Reynold Jennings, WellStar
president & CEO. “We believe our communities will benefit from this type
of collaborative model as we join forces with Walgreens to deliver more
coordinated care.”
With the Affordable Care Act expected to bring millions of new patients
into the healthcare system, the relationship aims to help address some
of the needs and challenges facing both patients and healthcare
providers.
“With the healthcare system today facing a myriad of challenges,
Healthcare Clinic at select Walgreens can play an important role in
enhancing patient access to quality, convenient and affordable care,”
said Alan E. London, chief medical officer, Consumer Solutions Group,
Walgreens. “Working with a highly integrated health system such as
WellStar offers an ideal opportunity to further coordinate patient care
in northwest Atlanta. We look forward to working together to help
patients in these communities get, stay and live well.”
Healthcare Clinic at select Walgreens-area locations partnering with
WellStar include:
• 1762 Mars Hill Road, NW, Acworth
• 4120 Austell Road, Austell
• 9465 Highway 5, Douglasville
• 2779 N. Cobb Parkway, Kennesaw
• 2464 Roswell Road, Marietta
• 2988 Shallowford Road, Marietta
• 5230 Dallas Highway, Powder Springs
• 2670 Cobb Parkway, SE, Smyrna
About WellStar Health System
Recognized as the fifth most integrated healthcare delivery system in
the country, WellStar Health System is one of the largest not-for-profit
health systems in Georgia and serves a population of nearly 1.4 million
residents in five counties. The vision of WellStar is to deliver
world-class healthcare. A national leader in the transformation of
healthcare delivery, WellStar launched two initiatives in late 2012 –
the Center for Health Transformation and the Georgia Health
Collaborative – that will have far reaching effects on healthcare both
locally and nationally. WellStar includes WellStar Kennestone Regional
Medical Center (anchored by WellStar Kennestone Hospital) and
WellStar Cobb, Douglas, Paulding and Windy Hill hospitals; the WellStar
Medical Group; Urgent Care Centers; Acworth Health Park; Health Place;
Homecare; Hospice; Atherton Place; Paulding Nursing Center; and the
WellStar Foundation. For more information, call 770-956-STAR or visit
wellstar.org.
About Walgreens
As the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2013 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 8,117 drugstores in all 50
states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin
Islands. Take Care Health Systems is a Walgreens subsidiary that is the
largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness
centers, provider practices, and in-store convenient care clinics, with
more than 750 locations throughout the country.
Copyright Business Wire 2013