WOONSOCKET, R.I. — Kevin Hourican was promoted last month to president of CVS Pharmacy, the retail division of CVS Health. Hourican, who most recently served as the company’s executive vice president of retail pharmacy, had been serving as interim president of the drug chain following the departure of Helena Foulkes, who left to head Hudson’s Bay Co. Hourican will lead CVS Pharmacy in the drive to deliver health initiatives to create a simpler, more responsive and affordable experience for consumers.

Kevin Hourican

“We’re pleased to have Kevin at the helm of CVS Pharmacy,” said Jon Roberts, chief operating officer of CVS Health. “He has a proven track record of bringing innovative new programs and services to our patients and a strong ability to lead our retail pharmacy team. We believe that Kevin will bring his extensive consumer and retail skills to our front-store business as well, and I have no doubt he will be able to further transform our stores to become the front door of health care for consumers, patients and ­caregivers.”

Hourican, who joined CVS in 2012, is a relative newcomer to the health care industry, but that hasn’t stopped him from helping the company live up to its reputation for innovation. Since being named executive vice president of retail pharmacy and supply chain in mid-2016, Hourican, who was trained in economics and supply chain management at Penn State University, has steadfastly applied his formidable analytical and process management skills to honing CVS’ core business. He directly managed all aspects of the retail pharmacy business and partnered on key innovations including the ScriptPath prescription management system, the Rx Savings Finder, medication adherence programs and home delivery.

Pharmacists are the frontline of health care, he said, noting that with 10,000 locations in 49 states; Washington, D.C.; and Puerto Rico, CVS’ pharmacists are highly accessible for the vast majority of U.S. residents. They are highly skilled professionals, he noted, many with a Pharm.D. degree. He called them “capable, talented, educated professionals” who can address health care needs efficiently and, cost effectively.

He said that the pharmacist’s first duty is, and will continue to be, ensuring that patients use prescription pharmaceuticals safely and in a manner that maximizes efficacy. Medication adherence is at the heart of the profession’s work, he said.

In employing best-in-class capabilities to get people on their path to better health, CVS engages with patients and educates them on the importance of beginning maintenance medications. Thanks to e-prescribing, it can now see a medication that a person in the past perhaps never brought to a pharmacy. “Some patients simply forget to come to the pharmacy,” Hourican said. “Others either don’t understand or do not sufficiently appreciate why they need to begin therapy.” When that happens, CVS telephones those patients to help them understand the importance of starting on therapy that prescribers deem important, he said.

Adherence is CVS’ top priority, he said. “It helps patients live longer, healthier lives. And our PBM partners and health plan partners are extraordinarily interested in people staying adherent to their medication. Adherence helps reduce hospitalizations and unnecessary future health problems down the road.”