Roughly a year after its launch, Walgreens Boots Alliance announced that its Find Care platform — a mobile and web tool guiding consumers toward curated health services — has added eight new partners including Propeller Health, Dexcom and a handful of regional health systems.
The two digital companies’ connected inhaler sensors and CGM devices add new chronic care management options to the retail pharmacy’s service, which already includes telemedicine provider MDLive and digital-enabled house call company Heal. The program is now partnered with 26 groups, three of which are other Walgreens units.
Both the app and the browser-based versions of Walgreens’ tool allow consumers to seek health services while filtering by their location and condition. Users are then presented with a short list of service or product options alongside a starting price and (if applicable) average wait time.
WHY IT MATTERS
Millions of children and adults live with asthma, COPD or diabetes. Propeller's and Dexcom’s products can help patients reduce the daily burden of managing these chronic diseases and, through data-driven monitoring, understand long-term trends affecting their daily health. The inclusion of each company on the Find Care platform provides a new avenue for consumers to discover these digital health products.
"The combination of Walgreens Find Care and digital health tools like Propeller has the power to make care more accessible, convenient and simple for people living with a range of chronic diseases,” David Van Sickle, CEO and co-founder of Propeller Health, told MobihealthNews in an email statement. “Partnerships like this can help patients better manage their condition.”
THE LARGER TREND
Propeller and Walgreens already have a standing partnership that, as of January, allows Propeller’s end users to connect to pharmacy services without leaving the Propeller app. But Walgreens isn’t the only retail pharmacy looking to mix up its offerings for consumers — CVS Caremark and health data management company Sharecare launched a digital pharmacy discount card to those using Sharecare’s app.
ON THE RECORD
“Our research shows that Walgreens customers are looking for new, convenient and affordable ways to understand and manage their health care needs,” Giovanni Monti, vice president and director of health care innovation, Walgreens Boots Alliance, said in a statement. “Walgreens Find Care delivers on our commitment to help customers improve their health by bringing together curated, proven, omnichannel health care solutions. 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.”
