Hartford Business Journal

18 Hartford Business Journal • November 25, 2019 • www.HartfordBusiness.com By Greg Bordonaro gbordonaro@hartfordbusiness.com C VS Health and health insurer Aetna have spent 2019 experiment- ing with what they say is the drug-store of the future — a one-stop destination for an individual's health needs. Now, the future is coming to Hartford. Aetna President Karen Lynch, in an interview with the Hartford Busi- ness Journal, confirmed CVS will be opening one of its new "HealthHub" locations in the Capital City during the first quarter of 2020. A specific site has not been identi- fied, but it's part of a larger national push by CVS/Aetna to open 1,500 HealthHubs by 2021. The stores, which Lynch described as a "front door" to health care, will house nurse practitioners and a care concierge team, expanded products and ser- vices for minor illnesses and injuries as well as immunizations, wellness and health checks, and on-site coun- seling and treat- ment for chronic conditions such as diabetes. CVS currently has about a half- dozen locations in Hartford. "We want to provide a sim- ple, convenient access point for health services that are local and in the neigh- borhood, so we can engage with our members in a different way," said Lynch, who is also executive vice president of CVS Health. "It's about having a simplified experi- ence, but more importantly having individuals engaged in their health throughout their life." HealthHubs are the latest move by Rhode Island-based CVS to turn itself into a provider of many of the healthcare products and services that a customer needs. CVS already has more than 1,000 walk-in MinuteClinics that offer basic care for strep throat or an ear infec- tion. But HealthHubs aim to offer a broader array of services. They have less shelf and floor space devoted to things like greet- ing cards, magazines and snacks, and a greater focus on health and wellness products, such as monitor- ing devices that sync to a mobile phone, aromatherapy, fitness essentials and durable medical equipment. There is also more focus on treating chronic health condi- tions, five of which — heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, asthma and mental health — account for about 80 percent of the $3.5 trillion in an- nual U.S. healthcare spending. CVS believes it can become a "coordinator of care for patients," using a concierge team, nurse practitioners and pharmacists to provide education counseling on exercise, diet and medication ad- herence, which is a key to lowering healthcare costs, Lynch said. Patients with chronic conditions may go to the doctor and leave with a treatment plan, but they're often left on their own after that. That's where CVS wants to carve out a role and potentially help bend the escalating healthcare cost curve. Feeling sick? Come to the Health- Hub to see a medical professional. Need a flu shot? Go to one of CVS's Minute Clinics. CVS also offers health insurance through Aetna, which it bought for nearly $70 bil- lion in 2018, and owns pharmacy benefits manager Caremark too. CVS also wants patients to come to its stores for more minor condi- tions, rather than going to the emer- gency room, which is the costliest care option for insurers like Aetna. Trips to the ER can run up providers thousands of dollars every visit. Michael Cherny, a healthcare analyst for Bank of America Mer- rill Lynch, said HealthHubs aren't meant to replace primary care doc- tors but they can be an alternative or complement. For example, he said a diabetes pa- tient might go to their regular doctor Booster Shot Hartford slated to get CT's first CVS/Aetna 'HealthHub' in 2020 Karen Lynch, President, Aetna CVS/Aetna plan to open hundreds of HealthHubs in 2020, including one in Hartford. The stores will offer more healthcare services than a traditional CVS location. PHOTOS | CONTRIBUTED

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