Companies are trying out dental clinics in their pharmacies as part of the “Amazon effect” to make services more convenient.
Heading over to your pharmacy to pick up your prescription?
While you’re at it, why not get your teeth cleaned or even straightened.
How? It turns out Walgreens and CVS are both launching pilot programs to offer dental services at their retail pharmacies.Walgreens opened an Aspen Dental Office in its pharmacy in Gainesville, Florida in December. The pharmacy chain is set to open a second dental office in a Walgreens in Tampa later this year.
In a statement to Healthline, Walgreens said it’s all part of a plan to transform its stores into “neighborhood health destinations.”
“Neighborhood health destinations focus on the customer and patient experience and provide access to a broad range of affordable health care services in a trusted, convenient setting,” wrote Pat Carroll, MD, Walgreens’ chief medical officer.
He went on to say that at certain Walgreens locations, customers can also get lab work done or their hearing and vision checked. Some of the services are designed to make it one-stop shopping for senior citizens.
“Additionally, we’ve teamed up with Humana to test expanded clinical services for seniors by co-locating ‘Partners in Primary Care’ clinics in two Walgreens stores” Dr. Carroll added, “bringing together primary care, pharmacy, in-person health plan support, and other services for Medicare beneficiaries.”