DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreen Co.’s Healthcare Clinics have gained national recognition from the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC).
The accreditation signifies that Healthcare Clinics, with more than 400 locations inside Walgreens drug stores nationwide, deliver high-quality care in an environment that promotes patient safety, Walgreens said Wednesday.
"AAAHC shares our focus on high-quality, affordable and coordinated patient care, and the accreditation is another important step in Walgreens evolution from traditional retail drug store to a community health care destination," Heather Helle, divisional vice president for the Walgreens Consumer Solutions Group, said in a statement. "The AAAHC accreditation process requires a rigorous and complex series of evaluations, and we’re proud to be recognized for delivering the highest levels of comprehensive, quality care to our patients."
As part of the accreditation process, AAAHC representatives evaluated Healthcare Clinic professionals in the clinic setting, interviewed executive leadership and conducted patient surveys. AAAHC has standards that require clinics to be patient-centered, comprehensive and accessible and to coordinate care with all of patients’ primary care and specialty care health provider teams, according to Walgreens.
"The role of retail clinics continues to grow and gain momentum as a valuable access point for care, and this setting is poised to grow in importance and value as millions of Americans enter the system under health care reform," commented John Burke, president and chief executive officer of AAAHC. "We are pleased to add Healthcare Clinics at select Walgreens to our accredited members and congratulate them on their successful completion of the process."
Last December, Walgreens’ more than 370 work-site health centers, managed by the Walgreens Employer Solutions Group, received AAAHC Medical Home accreditation, The designation signifies that each location meets AAAHC requirements for a patient-centered medical home, exercising best practices and operating in compliance with nationally recognized standards of care.
