Through a new partnership with Walgreens, Pearl Health will work with primary care providers by offering its technology and data insights to help them better their care and transition to value-based payment models. Walgreens is then providing prescription fulfillment, medication adherence, immunization and diagnostic testing services.

As retail disruptors like CVS, Walgreens and Amazon buy more and more primary care assets, the healthcare industry is seeing an increased demand for physicians and advanced practitioners. In the case of nurse practitioners, this rise in demand is also boosting their salaries. Physicians’ starting salaries have remained relatively flat, but their average signing bonus grew.

Now that Medicaid redeterminations have resumed, Walgreens is supporting patients by educating them about renewals and helping them navigate through the process, execs said at AHIP 2023 in Portland.

Here is a selection of recent executive hires, exits, promotions and layoffs occurring across the healthcare industry.

Retail clinic claims volumes have shot up by 200% in the past five years, according to a new report. The research argued that retailers are beginning to seriously compete with the traditional healthcare system when it comes to the primary care market — growth in retail clinic claims have greatly outpaced claims growth for urgent care centers, emergency departments and physician practices.

Mifepristone and misoprostol, two pills that are taken together to terminate a pregnancy, have been approved by the FDA since 2000. But access to these drugs have been in serious jeopardy this year, and a federal judge in Texas recently ruled to suspend the FDA’s decadeslong approval of mifepristone. The final outcome for abortion pill access in the U.S. is still unclear among confliction federal rulings — the issue will likely end up in the Supreme Court.

Analysts predict that disruptors could own as much as 30% of the $260 billion primary care market by 2030. A recent report from the American Hospital Association outlines major moves the healthcare industry should be watching this year from disruptors like Amazon, CVS and Walgreens — from billion-dollar acquisitions of primary care companies to expanding clinic locations to efforts in the home care space.

Tim Barry, CEO of VillageMD, is encouraged by the shift he’s seeing to value-based care, but is worried that new technologies could create a fragmented system. He made these comments after the value-based company announced Thursday that it completed its $8.9 billion acquisition of Summit Health-City MD.

To combat this issue, Joan Harvey of Evernorth stressed the importance of an omnichannel care model that leverages both in-person and virtual care. She made these comments at the HLTH conference in Las Vegas.

The combined organization will have more than 680 provider locations in 26 markets. With CVS Health and Amazon both making major acquisitions, the Summit Health deal was both offensive and defensive for Walgreens, one expert said.

Consumer research firm Forrester recently predicted major trends that would shape healthcare in 2023. Healthcare stakeholders should prepare for key changes, such as care becoming even more inaccessible for rural patients and additional retail entrants into the clinic space.

The settlement terms are still being negotiated and the final settlement depends on the number of states, counties, and Native American tribes that agree to join

Among the topics of discussion at the event within the HLTH conference are: making the future of food and nutrition accessible and sustainable, managing and monitoring sleep health, and destigmatizing sexual health and wellness. Register today!

Retail pharmacy chains and Amazon are transforming themselves into omnichannel healthcare providers, developing primary care services and virtual tools through acquisitions, partnerships and investments.

Claim.MD is an electronic data interchange clearinghouse that helps reduce claims denials and improve cash flow. By working with the company, Walgreens has been able to make its reimbursement process more efficient and grow its business.

“This decision sends pharmacists a dangerous message: you’re expected to overrule doctors – and not doing so can be costly.”

A federal jury found pharmacy chains CVS, Walgreens and Walmart helped fuel the opioid epidemic in two Ohio counties. It’s the first trial pharmacy chains have faced related to the opioid crisis, though several other lawsuits have been filed.

The company launched a new health division, and has doubled down on its plans to open primary care clinics with VillageMD. It faces big competitors in CVS and Walmart, and it’ll take time to see if its new strategy pays off.

Walgreens plans to invest a total of $5.2 billion in VillageMD, up from its original plans to buy a $1 billion stake in the primary care company. It’s part of a broader consumer health strategy Walgreens plans to use to grow its business in the future.

Walgreens is considering buying Evolent Health, which makes software to help providers manage their value-based care programs, according to a recent report by Bloomberg. Evolent’s stock rose more than 18% on the news of the potential deal.

CVS lowered its guidance for vaccines after seeing vaccinations decline from their mid-April heights. But more people are coming in for first doses after the Delta variant has caused Covid-19 cases to rise again.

As part of a partnership with primary care provider VillageMD, Walgreens plans to open 29 clinics in Texas this year. In total, the companies plan to open at least 600 clinics over the next four years. 

After the Food and Drug Administration authorized a swathe of over-the-counter tests for Covid-19, pharmacies are preparing to stock their shelves. But at $20 to $100 a pop, will enough people use them to make a difference?

VillageMD, a primary care startup that has Walgreens as a big backer, is reportedly planning to go public. The company has plans to open hundreds of co-located primary care clinics at Walgreens pharmacies. 

Walgreens, CVS, Walmart and dozens of other pharmacies will start administering a limited number of vaccines as part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program. It will offer vaccines in medically underserved areas to healthcare workers, people ages 65 and older, and essential workers, according to local guidelines.

AmerisourceBergen plans to buy most of Walgreens’ Alliance Healthcare business for $6.5 billion. The deal will let Walgreens focus more on its retail pharmacy and healthcare businesses.

CVS and Walgreens began administering the first doses of Covid-19 vaccines across long-term care facilities last week. But many questions still remain about how it will be administered to the general public.

The retailer plans to open primary care clinics in Houston, El Paso, Austin, Phoenix and Orlando by next summer as part of its partnership with startup VillageMD.

Two years after acquiring PillPack, Amazon is launching its much-anticipated pharmacy business. But even with some exciting features about price transparency, it’s unlikely to dramatically change prescription costs, experts said.

Walmart caught the healthcare industry’s attention when it began opening primary care centers across Georgia, Florida and Illinois. But without its leader, will the effort still be able to keep its momentum?