CVS Health announces two new clinical affiliations
WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Health announced on Tuesday it has entered into new clinical affiliations with Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and Tucson Medical Center in Tucson, Ariz., and its accountable care organization, Arizona Connected Care.
Through these clinical affiliations, CVS Health will provide prescription and visit information to the participating providers through the integration of electronic health record systems, which will help enhance clinical care for patients served by these affiliates. In addition, patients will continue to have access to clinical support, medication counseling, chronic disease monitoring and wellness programs at CVS/pharmacy stores and MinuteClinic, the retail medical clinic of CVS Health.
"In this era of health care reform, we are pleased to work with these health care providers to develop collaborative programs that enhance access to patient care, improve health outcomes and lower health care costs in the communities they serve," stated Troyen Brennan, chief medical officer, CVS Health. "By integrating our electronic health records and information systems, we will collectively have a more comprehensive view of our patients, which can aid in health care decision making and help ensure patients adhere to important medications for chronic diseases."
Healthcare providers at the participating affiliates will receive data on interventions conducted by CVS pharmacists to improve medication adherence for their patients. The affiliation also encourages collaboration between the health care providers and MinuteClinic providers to improve coordination of care for patients seen at MinuteClinic locations. Physicians affiliated with the participating medical centers will collaborate with MinuteClinic nurse practitioners to work closely on joint clinical programs and care coordination activities. If more comprehensive care is needed, patients can follow up with their primary care provider and have access to the services at the medical center as appropriate. For those patients who do not have regular access to health care, MinuteClinic provides information to help patients in finding a primary care physician.
MinuteClinic, CVS/pharmacy and the participating medical centers will begin to work toward integrating EHR systems to streamline and enhance communication. This integration will include the electronic sharing of messages and alerts from CVS/pharmacy to the affiliates' physicians regarding medication non-adherence issues. In addition, MinuteClinic will electronically share patient visit summaries with the patient's primary care physician when they are part of a clinical affiliation and with the patient's consent. MinuteClinic will continue its standard practice of sending patient visit summaries to primary care providers who are not affiliated with one of these participating groups via fax or mail, with patient consent.
These new clinical affiliations bring the total number of health system and health care provider affiliations for CVS Health and MinuteClinic to more than 50 major health systems and healthcare providers across the country.