Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1383677
64 INNOVATION 7 key consumer-centric moves by CVS By Katie Adams C VS and other pharmacy retail chains have been revamping their busi- nesses in recent years to meet con- sumer demands for better healthcare access and convenience. Below is a brief timeline of a few key health- care consumerism moves CVS has made from April 2020 to February 2021. April 29, 2020: CVS rolled out telehealth services through its retail MinuteClin- ic, allowing patients to select a virtual E-Clinic visit with a local MinuteClinic provider for nonemergency conditions, including common illnesses, injuries and skin conditions. May 28, 2020: CVS began using self-driving vehicles for prescription delivery via a part- nership with technology company Nuro. July 8, 2020: CVS developed Spoken Rx, a fea- ture on its app that can read prescription labels out loud for visually impaired patients. e company said by the end of 2021, the labels will be available in all CVS Pharmacy locations. July 30, 2020: CVS became the first national retailer to offer contactless Venmo and Pay- Pal technology at checkout registers. PayPal has partnered with national retailers before, but the payment options required customers to enter a PIN or swipe a card, so the systems were not contactless. Aug. 11, 2020: en-CVS CEO Larry Merlo said the company is continuing to convert its stores into HealthHubs aer pausing some construction earlier in the year. He said the company's plan to have 1,500 HealthHubs by the end of 2021 remains on track, despite the construction slowdown. Sept. 15, 2020: CVS Health began offering Aetna commercial and CVS Caremark mem- bers a one-year subscription to Apple Fitness+. Feb. 19, 2021: CVS inked a partnership with Ly to provide free or discounted rides for those who live in underserved communities and need transportation to a CVS pharmacy for their COVID-19 vaccine. n Former Cleveland Clinic CEO Dr. Toby Cosgrove joins Providence's digital health spinout By Jackie Drees T oby Cosgrove, MD, former president and CEO of Cleveland Clinic, joined Providence's digital health spinout Dex- Care as a member of its board of directors. Dr. Cosgrove retired from his executive roles at Cleveland Clinic in 2017 but still advises the health system. He also serves as an exec- utive adviser to Google and on the boards of several other digital health companies, according to a May 4 news release. DexCare is a platform-as-a-service digital care operating system that manages health sys- tem capacity and demand across all lines of care. Renton, Wash.-based Providence created DexCare in 2016 as the platform for its ambu- latory care business but has since spun out the company after incubating it within its Digital Innovation Group. In March, DexCare closed a $20 million invest- ment round backed by Providence Ventures and Kaiser Permanente Ventures. n 'Alexa' finds a voice in healthcare: 4 systems that have built skills for Amazon's digital assistant By Jackie Drees A mazon Alexa has become a staple in many homes across the U.S., with the digital assistant even gaining traction in health- care settings and patient care plans. Here are four hospitals and health systems that have teamed up with the retail company to build Amazon Alexa skills over the past few years: 1. Hershey, Pa.-based Penn State College of Medicine in April 2021 built an Amazon Alexa skill to deliver care interventions to breast cancer patients in their own homes. The skill, dubbed Addressing Metastatic Individuals Everyday, or Nurse AMIE for short, interacts with patients via voice to address symptoms and offer interventions. 2. Last October, Newark, Del.-based ChristianaCare developed an Alexa skill for home health named Home Care Coach. Using the voice-driven capability, providers can customize a patient's care plan, and the patient can ask Alexa questions about their plan and prescriptions. 3. Mayo Clinic teamed up with Amazon Alexa in April 2020 to spread updated information about the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rochester, Minn.-based health system's Mayo Clinic on COVID-19 skill lets Alexa users ask the digital assistant questions about the novel coronavirus and get information from Mayo Clinic experts and the CDC. 4. New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health rolled out an Alexa skill in October 2017 that lets patients find nearby urgent care cen- ters and emergency rooms with the shortest wait times. n