Walgreens ramps up VillageMD clinic rollout
Walgreens Boots Alliance is escalating its rollout of VillageMD health care clinics.
Walgreens and VillageMD announced plans to open 40 new Village Medical primary care clinics at Walgreens by the end of summer 2021. The expansion is part of the large-scale rollout announced earlier this year to open 500 to 700 Village Medical at Walgreens clinics in more than 30 U.S. markets in the next five years.
The first markets for expansion include areas of Houston, El Paso and Austin, Texas, Phoenix, Ariz., and Orlando, Fla. The first new locations outside of Houston will open in the Phoenix area starting Dec. 14, 2020.
Walgreens said the expansion plans were driven by the success of the first five clinics in Houston, which received overwhelmingly positive feedback and high satisfaction from both patients and physicians.
“Walgreens is proud to partner with VillageMD to offer the most comprehensive and large-scale roll-out of physician-led primary care services co-located in a retail pharmacy setting,” said Alex Gourlay co-chief operating officer, Walgreens Boots Alliance. “Our role as part of patient care teams has never been more critical, and our partnership with VillageMD enables us to provide more people with convenient access to high-quality, affordable care embedded in their communities.”
The new Village Medical at Walgreens clinics integrate pharmacists as critical members of VillageMD’s physician-led, multidisciplinary team to provide patients with a full suite of primary care and pharmacy services at convenient Walgreens neighborhood locations. By combining the expertise of both the physician and pharmacist, patients benefit from improved health outcomes and lowered cost of care, Walgreens stated.
“In today’s complex healthcare environment, this integrated model of care is more important than ever,” said Tim Barry, chairman and CEO at VillageMD. “At Village Medical at Walgreens, our experienced physicians and providers work closely with Walgreens pharmacists every day to ensure patients get accessible, personalized and coordinated care when they need it.”
VillageMD, through its subsidiary Village Medical, is a leading, national provider of value-based primary care services. The Village Medical brand provides primary care for patients at traditional free-standing clinics, Village Medical at Walgreens clinics, at home and via virtual visits.