DEERFIELD, Ill. — Healthcare Clinic has begun a clinical affiliation with Community Health Network in central Indiana.
The Walgreen Co. retail health clinic subsidiary Take Care Clinics, said Thursday that under the collaboration seven Healthcare Clinics in the region will coordinate delivery of care with Community Health Network.
The affiliation was announced in late January, when Walgreens’ clinic operation was known as Take Care Clinics.
The company said Healthcare Clinics inside Walgreens drug stores in Carmel, Greenwood and Indianapolis will provide walk-in treatment for minor illnesses and injuries and support Community Health Network in the treatment of its patients with chronic diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol and asthma. The clinics also can assist patients in scheduling follow-up appointments with Community Health Network physicians and testing/ancillary services.
"With the health care system today facing a myriad of challenges, our clinics can play an important role in enhancing patient access to quality, convenient and affordable care," Alan London, chief medical officer of Healthcare Clinic, said in a statement. "Working with a highly integrated health system such as Community Health Network offers an ideal opportunity to further coordinate patient care in the Central Indiana region."
Plans call for the electronic health records of Healthcare Clinic patients to be fully integrated with Community CareConnect, Community Health Network’s electronic medical records platform, within the next few months. Patients will also be able to use advanced technology to schedule appointments at Community Physician Network practices, Healthcare Clinic sites, MedCheck walk-in clinic locations and imaging sites.
The companies noted that the Community Health Network and Healthcare Clinic model provides patients with health care access seven days a week, with extended evening and weekend hours, and establishes direct communication between Community physicians and Healthcare Clinic nurse practitioners to facilitate care coordination.
Community Health Network has more than 200 sites of care and affiliates in central Indiana, including eight hospitals and network of over 2,000 doctors.
"Between a growing, aging population, many with chronic health conditions, and the influx of new patients resulting from the Affordable Care Act, Community Health Network and Walgreens are helping to provide greater access to quality healthcare," stated Tim Hobbs, chief physician executive at Community Health Network. "We think consumers can benefit from this type of collaborative model, when the most integrated health care provider in the area joins forces with Walgreens to deliver more coordinated care that caters to the needs of patients and the community at large."
