The app has integrated remote monitoring partners that will support better chronic disease management on the go.
Walgreens has expanded its Find Care digital platform to support expansive chronic disease management and use of remote monitoring tools, the retail chain recently announced.
The Walgreens Find Care app improvements will specifically benefit patients with diabetes, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). These conditions impact millions of adult and pediatric patients across the country, but by expanding its Find Care app, Walgreens hopes to drive better patient access to care and management.
The retail and pharmacy giant has partnered with key health IT and remote patient monitoring companies Dexcom and Propeller Health to support patient use and coordination of their own biometric data.
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Through the partnerships, patients will be able to plug their data from their remote monitoring devices into their Walgreens app, giving them a centralized location for data sharing and giving the tool more information on which to offer chronic care supports.
“Our research shows that Walgreens customers are looking for new, convenient and affordable ways to understand and manage their health care needs,” said Giovanni Monti, vice president and director of health care innovation at Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.
“Walgreens Find Care delivers on our commitment to help customers improve their health by bringing together curated, proven, omnichannel health care solutions,” Monti continued. “We believe that by integrating connected care devices, digital therapeutics and the pharmacy experience, we’ll help individuals better manage their chronic conditions while also lowering the overall cost of care.”
Connecting remote technologies into the Walgreens app will provide patients with actionable data that should inform their own chronic disease self-management, the organization explained.
For example, information gleaned from a blood glucose wearable can tip off a patient for an impending high or low, allowing the patient to take action before the situation becomes dire.
A sensor attached to an asthma or COPD patient’s inhaler can generate insights about medication adherence or inhaler use based on air quality forecasts and patient-reported symptoms.
Provided patient permission, the remote patient monitoring functions can also notify clinicians of symptom irregularities, allowing clinicians to intervene when necessary or provide patient outreach and support.
Walgreens has also announced several more providers who have signed onto the app. The Walgreens Find Care tool helps connect Walgreens customers with healthcare providers in the area. Now, following the app’s launch in July of 2018, the pharmacy provider has added new providers to its listing, including the likes of Aspen Dental, Partners in Primary Care, and Houston Methodist.
This brings the total number of providers on the Walgreens Find Care app up to 26, with new members including Aspen Dental, Community Health Network, Dexcom, Houston Methodist, Norton Healthcare, Partners in Primary Care, and Vanderbilt Health.
The Walgreens app stratifies these provider offerings based on a user’s location, ensuring that the patient will not be faced with an onslaught of provider options that are not close to them. The tool also allows patients the option to schedule their appointments at that time, increasing convenient access to care.
As noted above, Walgreens launched the Find Care tool to help drive patient engagement, care coordination, and chronic disease management. Additionally, Walgreens sought for the tool to support better patient care access by allowing patients to view the care providers within their area.
“People expect accessible quality care that fits their busy lives, and this is another way in which we’re continually evolving our business to bring health care services closer to our patients,” said Richard Ashworth, president of operations at Walgreens. “Find Care Now is part of a series of innovations to offer a true omnichannel experience for Walgreens customers, as we work with others in the health care community to improve access to affordable health care services in the communities we serve.”
The pharmacy retailer aimed for the app to cut down on unnecessary emergency department visits and visits to other high-cost and high-acuity care sites.
This latest move will help patients not only access care but better understand their care. By partnering with remote patient monitoring providers, Walgreens will help patients engage in their own chronic care management.
Date: August 02, 2019
Source: PatientEngagementHIT