Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1495274
21 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP game is to increase severity scores. You can't make money on primary care unless you have significant ancillary revenue and downstream referral income. at's the deal. Even hospitals employing primary care for the first time can quickly figure that one out." According to e Wall Street Journal, Oak Street Health operates more than 160 centers across 21 states, and focuses on the care of patients enrolled in Medicare. e company also said it cares for about 159,000 patients. Mr. Chaundry said primary care, specifically care that focuses on patients enrolled in Medicare, has been an uphill battle for most health systems in the country, and could prove to be a challenge for CVS as well. "Will CVS and others get on the same difficult road? Sometimes this is inherent to being in the provider space. Or will they figure out a novel approach that the 400-plus health systems in the country could not, due to their consumer-centric, retail, tech-based roots?" asked Mr. Chaudhry. "To me, that is the more important question." Or a dominant force in primary care? But, other hospital and health system CIOs see potential in this deal as one that can make CVS a dominant force within the primary care arena. "Other countries such as the UK who heavily invest and focus on primary care and keep patients well certainly demonstrate better outcomes and lower healthcare delivery costs overall," said Zafar Chaudry, MD, senior vice president, chief digital officer and CIO of Seattle Children's. "is acquisition will make CVS a dominant force in primary care and value-based contracts and allows CVS to keep patients out of the ER, drive down costs, improve outcomes and better drive patient engagement." Simon Linwood, MD, CIO of Riverside, Calif.-based UCR Health echoed Dr. Chaudry's remarks stating that the acquisition could better serve communities that have been historically underserved. "By integrating Oak Street Health's expertise in population health, CVS Health will be able to identify and address the health needs of specific communities and improve overall health outcomes for these populations," Dr. Linwood said. e Oak Street Health deal is expected to close in 2023 and would be CVS' second multibillion-dollar purchase in the last seven months. n Transform content management across your healthcare enterprise Discover the advantages of enterprise content management developed for healthcare enterprises by healthcare professionals. For more than 25 years, Quest Diagnostics has provided timely updates and seamless integrations that keep leading healthcare organizations positioned competitively at the forefront of technology. See how Quanum Enterprise Content Solutions can help: • Drive operational efficiency • Ensure secure control and access • Reduce costs with effective data management Contact or visit us today at: QuanumECS@QuestDiagnostics.com QuanumECS.com © 2022 Quest Diagnostics Incorporated. All rights reserved.