DEERFIELD, Ill. — Half of the primary care work-site health centers managed by Walgreens Employer Solutions Group have received Medical Home accreditation, Walgreen Co. and the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) announced.
Walgreens said Thursday that it plans to have all of its employer-based primary care centers accredited in the first half of 2013.
The accreditation recognizes that each work-site health center meets AAAHC requirements to be considered a patient-centered medical home, employing best practices and operating in compliance with nationally recognized standards of care, Walgreens said.
As part of the year-long accreditation process, AAAHC representatives visited work-site health facilities at Walgreens client sites, including Toyota, Southwire and Fieldale Farms. At each location, on-site surveys were conducted to determine if the Walgreens centers met AAAHC criteria as a Medical Home.
"We’re proud to have received accreditation from AAAHC, an organization that shares our commitment to ensuring health care delivery meets the highest quality standards and is coordinated across the health care spectrum, benefitting both employers and employees," Trent Riley, divisional vice president for the Walgreens Health and Wellness division, said in a statement. "Walgreens has demonstrated how investing in work-site health programs can reduce costs and improve health outcomes for our clients, and this recognition underscores the broad capabilities and quality of care delivered by the dedicated health care providers at our centers."
AAAHC, which launched the nation’s first medical home accreditation in 2009, has set specific standards for the Medical Home that require them to be patient-centered, physician-directed, comprehensive and accessible, as well as to coordinate care with all of the patient’s primary care and specialty care provider teams.
"The delivery of work-site health care continues to gain momentum as a valuable alternative to traditional points of care, and we look forward to continuing to work with Walgreens to complete its accreditation process," stated John Burke, president and chief executive officer of AAAHC.
The work-site health centers of the Walgreens Employer Solutions Group are a segment within the 370 employer health facilities that the company manages nationwide. The centers are staffed by doctors, nurse practitioners and other medical professionals and offer such services as primary care, pharmacy, occupational health, fitness, nutrition, chronic disease management, physical therapy, infusion services, chronic disease management, dental and vision.
Citing a 2011 report from Towers Watson and the National Business Group on Health, Walgreens noted that more and more employers are looking to provide on-site health and wellness services. According to the report, 23% of companies now offer on-site health services, and another 12% plan to start offering such services this year.
