Walgreens 2013 Annual Report Download - page 13

Walgreens pharmacy solutions revolve
around improving health outcomes.
Calls or text messages remind patients
when their refills are ready and again, before
the medication is returned to stock. Services
such as new-to-therapy consultations
help patients prepare for changes to their
prescription regimen, with the goal of
increasing adherence. And with electronic
health records, Walgreens can remind
patients when they’re due for a new
vaccination and send electronic notifications
to their doctors. The convenience of health
and prescription records in one place creates more connections
between patients, providers and payers, enhancing patients’
understanding of their total health.
Transforming community pharmacy also involves elevating
the role of pharmacy technicians like Tan Chen (above),
in Mercer Island, Washington. Walgreens pharmacy
technicians are fully trained and pass a national certification
test. In the same way hygienists assist dentists, pharmacy
technicians are an integral part of the team, taking on a
larger role preparing medications under the pharmacist’s
supervision. This enables pharmacists to engage with patients
and do all they were trained to do in pharmacy school.
2013 Walgreens Annual Report 11
While Walgreens has provided trusted pharmacy services for more
than 110 years, the company is also pushing the envelope of what
pharmacy can be. From consulting on medications to providing
health testing and biometric screenings, Walgreen pharmacists are
becoming even more focused on relationships rather than transac-
tions. Formal conversations on medication therapy management
held in private consultation rooms help underscore the importance
of patients taking their medications as prescribed, leading to
improved outcomes for patients and lower costs for payers.
Pharmacists such as Shawnt Batmanian in Los Angeles are at
the forefront of change as Walgreens transforms community
pharmacy. Shawnt’s relationships with patients run deep – such as
with 76-year-old retired actor and clinical psychologist Bill LaVallee.
Bill regularly discusses his medications for diabetes, high blood
pressure, pain and a recent heart surgery with Shawnt. He says
having a conversation with Shawnt is like visiting with a friend,
except that he talks about things with his pharmacist that he
wouldn’t even mention to a close friend.
Transform Community
Pharmacy
When Katie Heupel was pregnant with her son Andrew,
she started to feel “off.” So she had her blood pressure checked
at Walgreens, part of the company’s health test services, which
also include cholesterol, blood glucose, A1C testing for people
with diabetes, and body composition.
When Katie’s numbers were high, her pharmacist advised her to
see her doctor right away, who sent her to the hospital. Katie
was induced due to pre-eclampsia (pregnancy-related high blood
pressure) and gave birth to a healthy son. “I’m so grateful I could
go to Walgreens to give me peace of mind,” she says.