Improving Access Through Walgreens New Digital Platform
An Interview with Giovanni Monti, MBA, MIA, Walgreens Boots Alliance Vice President, and Director of Healthcare Innovation.
Can you discuss what needs led to the development of Walgreens’ “Find Care Now” platform?
People expect accessible quality care that fits their busy lives. Find Care Now is part of a series of innovations to offer a true omni-channel experience for Walgreens customers by bringing convenient access to health care providers through the community pharmacy experience. Our market research confirmed that customers are looking for these kinds of healthcare options and welcome Walgreens offering them. We think we have an advantage by being the first to build such a full and comprehensive offering with a strong local footprint, personalized care and trusted brands, starting with the Walgreens brand.
Can you explain how the “Find Care Now” platform works?
Find Care Now is a digital platform and marketplace that can be accessed via the Health Services section of the Walgreens mobile app and on the Walgreens website. Navigation, selection, and booking is easy and convenient, via geolocation, with a prominent, upfront display of pricing and condition filtering.
Which types of services can patients request through the app?
Find Care Now offers a curated selection of regional and national healthcare providers and services, including urgent care, health clinics, telehealth, lab testing services and house calls, optical services, and hearing services in certain markets. Many service providers allow visitors to schedule appointments online.
Do you expect to expand the services offered as the platform grows?
Absolutely. The company is working closely with a current list of 17 participating providers, a number we will grow to encompass an expanding selection of services and easier access in more geographic markets and through telemedicine options.
The platform seems to push the envelope a little in terms of pricing transparency for medical services. Can you talk a little bit about why you felt this was important to include in the platform?
A distinctive feature of the website is the prominent display of pricing, which shows the provider’s cash price. Health insurance plans may cover services offered by providers listed on Find Care Now but for now the information available is limited to cash pricing. We know that customers appreciate having pricing information and service options readily available, all in one place, so they can be compared to one another. We are confident our providers will understand that giving competitive and accurate pricing information will help drive customer loyalty. We have a rich digital product roadmap and price transparency will remain a key feature.
Do you expect that this service will be beneficial to payers? If so, how?
Our first priority is to help customers address their health needs via a wide range of convenient options, including some that are less expensive than what they might otherwise have considered. Find Care Now and its growing list of participating healthcare providers offer services that include sensible alternatives to more costly emergency room visits, which may benefit payers. Health care options available through Find Care Now include physicians or nurse practitioners at urgent care centers co-located at Walgreens drugstores, or at Walgreens stores that offer Healthcare Clinic or other provider retail clinic services. We look forward to working with payers to help make their services more conveniently accessible, in a personalized way, via Find Care Now.
How will the “Find Care Now” platform integrate with Walgreens pharmacy and clinic services?
Find Care Now strengthens the Walgreens role as a convenient neighborhood health destination and resource, accessible online and through local stores, offered in collaboration with leading health care providers and networks. By combining digital assets with our strong local footprint, Walgreens offers a unique and convenient model for patients to find care built around their needs. Services include physicians or nurse practitioners at urgent care centers co-located at Walgreens drugstores, or at Walgreens stores that offer Healthcare Clinic or other provider retail clinic services. When patients in our stores have questions about health care options, our pharmacy and store teams can now educate them about Find Care Now as a resource. As the digital product evolves, more can be imagined. But it is too early to discuss that.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
We believe Find Care Now addresses a real need our customers have, and does it with the trusted name and convenient access of Walgreens.
