Becker's Hospital Review

55 INNOVATION 'It's creative and we certainly need the help': CVS, Walmart, Walgreens grow consumer presence with counseling services By Jackie Drees C VS Health, Walmart and Wal- greens are expanding their healthcare presence to include cost-friendly, easily accessible mental health re- sources for consumers, e Wall Street Journal reported Aug. 29. "It's creative and we certainly need the help," Ken Duckworth, MD, medical director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, told the Journal. "It's an interesting idea to post a mental-health resource at a place where people already are at." Eight things to know: 1. As the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated mental health conditions and prompted more people to seek help for challenges such as ad- diction and depression, pharmacy companies Walmart, CVS and Walgreens have begun experimenting with offering counseling ser- vices in or near their retail stores, according to the report. 2. Earlier this year, CVS stationed mental health providers at 13 locations in Houston, Philadelphia, and Tampa, Fla., as part of a pilot program. e company said it saw a surpris- ingly high return rate for customers who had an initial consultation and is now expanding the program to 34 locations in those areas. 3. CVS charges $69 for a 30-minute coun- seling session and $129 for a mental health assessment. Based on the exam results, a customer could come back for a few therapy sessions or might get a referral for extensive services from a family physician, psychi- atrist or other local resources, and people without insurance can get support from a community organization. 4. Offering care in a retail setting makes it easier for people, Cara McNulty, president of behavioral health for CVS-owned Aetna, told the publication. "Oen people don't know where to go, who to see and what they need to be seen for. When you really democratize access to care by putting mental health sup- port in a retail setting, it makes access easier for people." 5. Walmart is implementing in-person coun- seling services at its Walmart Health clinics. e retail company currently offers in-person counseling at Walmart Health sites in Arkan- sas and Georgia and plans to expand to Illinois and Florida this year, the publication reported. 6. An initial 60-minute mental health counsel- ing visit at Walmart costs $60, according to the company's website. 7. Walgreens is rolling out mental health offer- ings as part of its deal with primary care pro- vider VillageMD. 8. More than half of pharmacy customers said they have used health and wellness services at their pharmacy within the past year, accord- ing to a survey of more than 12,000 customers done by data analytics and consumer intelli- gence company J.D. Power. "Consumers are looking to these destina- tions as low-cost, convenient providers," James Beem, managing director of global healthcare intelligence at J.D. Power, told the Journal. n UC San Diego Health launches health innovation center: 4 details By Jackie Drees U C San Diego Health established an innovation center to focus on improving virtual visit experiences for pa- tients and integrating remote monitoring technolo- gies within treatment plans, among other initiatives. Four details: 1. The Center for Health Innovation at UC San Diego Health will be located on UCSD's La Jolla campus and will work with partners including the UCSD Design Lab, Qualcomm Institute and Jacobs School of Engineering, according to a Sept. 2 news release. 2. The innovation center is modeled after the Universi- ty Health Network's Techna Institute, which is located at the University of Toronto. UCSD Health is partnering with Techna to integrate best models and practices for healthcare innovation. 3. Techna Institute has developed various products for hospitals, including advanced digital therapeutics that op- timize care for patients with chronic conditions through algorithm-based clinical decision support. 4. UCSD's innovation center will initially focus on refining the virtual visit experience for patients with technologies such as wearable sensors, which monitor chronic condi- tions. The center's goal is to focus on older adults, high-risk patients with diabetes and hypertension, and patients in remote areas. n "When you really democratize access to care by putting mental health support in a retail setting, it makes access easier for people." - Cara McNulty, Aetna

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