Wendy future of retail top

Walgreens at UCSF to eye new models

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SAN FRANCISCO — Walgreens has opened a unique store on the campus of the University of California at San Francisco in a joint effort between the drug chain, the university’s school of pharmacy and UCSF Medical Center.

The aim is to improve medication safety, cut down on health care costs and help patients use medicines more effectively.

Walgreens at UCSF will offer pharmacist-based care and will explore new models for improving overall patient care. As one of Walgreens’ Well Experience stores, the branch has multiple areas for private consultations with expanded health services that are designed to bring about increased pharmacist-patient interaction.

“Walgreens at UCSF is an ideal environment for our pharmacists to work with UCSF Medical Center and school of pharmacy faculty to further innovate in health care while providing greater access to services for the surrounding community,” said Joel Wright, Walgreens’ divisional vice president, specialty solutions group. “At Walgreens we are very pleased to share and develop best practices with UCSF pharmacists and pharmacy students, which furthers our commitment to help people get, stay and live well.”

Aside from counseling, the clinical services being offered include comprehensive medication reviews for customers who receive prescriptions. Accurate medication lists will be created and updated for patients to bring to their medical providers.

“Modern medicine has transformed many diseases from urgent, life-threatening conditions into chronic illnesses that can be managed with the right medications, but that means more and more patients are juggling multiple prescriptions, with complex instructions,” said Joseph Guglielmo, dean of the UCSF School of Pharmacy. “In many instances this complicated medication list is inaccurate and incomplete. This collaboration aims to transform the practice of community pharmacies to enable pharmacists to do what they’re trained to do.”

He added that Walgreens and the university will seek to reduce medication errors by sharing electronic health records with primary care doctors so that all parties can access up-to-date information at any time.

“We’re in an era where information does not flow well,” Guglielmo said. “Our thinking is, ‘What if in fact we created a different model?’ ”

That’s what Walgreens had in mind last year with the opening of a store near the Johns Hopkins East Baltimore medical campus that brings new health and wellness services to the community.

Along with a pharmacy, healthy food options and other daily living products, the store houses a Healthcare Clinic — Walgreens’ first in-store clinic in Maryland — and offers student health services and chronic disease education and awareness programs. Other services slated to be offered include smoking cessation, HIV testing and travel immunizations.

Walgreens also is providing funding for the new Brancati Center for the Advancement of Community Care. Part of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the center will develop and test new models of collaborative care.


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