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DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens has entered an agreement to become the retail pharmacy provider for northeastern Florida health system Baptist Health.
Plans call for Baptist Health’s retail pharmacy operations to open under Walgreens’ ownership at Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville in early January. The health system’s other six retail pharmacy locations are slated to close.
Baptist Health CEO Hugh Greene announces the northeastern Florida health system’s collaboration with Walgreens.
Baptist Health patients thereafter will be able to access pharmacy services at any of the approximately 50 Walgreens pharmacies across the Jacksonville area. Baptist Health said it will continue to own and operate its inpatient pharmacies and infusion therapy pharmacy.
Also under the agreement, Baptist Health will take over the clinical practice and operations of the Walgreens Healthcare Clinics inside three of the drug chain’s stores in Jacksonville and northeastern Florida. The clinics are due to transition to Baptist Health in May, and at that time the locations will become part of the health system.
Once under Baptist Health’s operation, the clinics will operate under the name Baptist Health Clinic at Walgreens. The companies said Walgreens will continue to manage the Healthcare Clinics until that time.
“Collaboration is key in today’s health care environment to help meet the changing needs of consumers, providers and the communities we serve,” Amy Bixler, regional health care director at Walgreens, said in a statement. “We’re pleased to work with Baptist Health to enhance care coordination across both pharmacy and retail clinic services and look forward to bringing Walgreens pharmacists even closer to Baptist patients to further improve care delivery and outcomes.”
Baptist Health said the retail clinics will complement its primary care network and urgent care partnership with CareSpot. Baptist Health Clinic at Walgreens locations will provide consumers extended walk-in hours, convenient online scheduling and the option to access a range of health services without an appointment, the health system noted.
“This is a strategic relationship between the most comprehensive health care system in the region and a longstanding, trusted provider of pharmacy services throughout the community,” stated Hugh Greene, president and chief executive officer of Baptist Health. “Together with Walgreens, we are eager to provide value while improving the overall health of the communities of northeast Florida.”
With the Baptist Health-Walgreens collaboration, patients also will be get access to digital tools and incentives to help them manage their health. Through the Walgreens mobile app, patients who enroll will be able to use the drug chain’s Balance Rewards for Healthy Choices rewards program, in which they can earn points for health-related activities such as walking or running, logging weight, checking blood pressure and receiving vaccinations.
“Our clinical agreement with Walgreens is part of our overall drive to meet rising consumer expectations, with easy access to high-quality, convenient care,” Greene added.
Serving northeastern Florida, the Baptist Health system encompasses Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville, Baptist Medical Center Beaches, Baptist Medical Center Nassau, Baptist Medical Center South, Baptist Clay Medical Campus and Wolfson Children’s Hospital, the region’s only children’s hospital.