CVS Health expands clinical affiliations into 2 Northeastern markets
WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Health announced Thursday it has entered into new clinical affiliations with two leading health systems, St. Luke’s University Health Network in Bethlehem, Pa. and TriHealth in Cincinnati, Ohio.
“We are pleased to work with St. Luke’s University Health Network and TriHealth to enhance access to patient care, improve health outcomes and lower health care costs in communities throughout Pennsylvania and Ohio,” CVS Health chief medical officer Troyen Brennan said. “By allowing our electronic health records and information systems to communicate and share important information about the patients we collectively serve, we will 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.”
Through these clinical affiliations, CVS Health will provide prescription and visit information to the participating health care organizations by enabling communication between the company's secured electronic health record systems, which will help enhance clinical care for patients. 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.
Health care providers at 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. Through this collaboration, the affiliate organizations and MinuteClinic practitioners will also work together on planning strategies around chronic care and wellness.
If more comprehensive care is needed, patients can follow up with their primary care provider and have access to affiliates’ services 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 and a greater opportunity for continuity of health care services.
MinuteClinic, CVS/pharmacy and the participating health systems will begin to work toward streamlining and enabling communication through their EHR systems. This will include the electronic sharing of messages and alerts from CVS/pharmacy to 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 an affiliate organization 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 these participating health care organizations via fax or mail, with patient consent.
The new affiliations bring the total number of clinical collaborations for CVS Health and MinuteClinic to more than 60 major health systems and health care providers across the country.