Nov. 28, 2018. CVS Health closes its $69 billion acquisition of Aetna.
Jan. 9. Mr. Merlo says CVS will kick-start specialized services for Aetna members with cardiovascular disease and pilot a readmission prevention program.
Jan. 14. CVS announces it will spend $100 million over the next five years on community health initiatives in three categories: improving local access to affordable, quality care; impacting public health challenges; and partnering with local communities.
Jan. 30. Reports surface that CVS is piloting dental services. Under the program, CVS will help fit people for invisible braces via SmileDirectClub, six of its drugstores will add a SmileShopExpress for customers to receive a 3D scan of their teeth to create invisible braces.
Feb. 13. CVS Health unveils three redesigned health-focused concept stores in the Houston market called HealthHubs. They have space for services to help customers manage such chronic conditions as diabetes, hypertension and asthma. Each store also has an expanded health clinic with a lab for blood testing and health screenings.
Feb. 26. It is announced that CVS will spend $325 million and $350 million on technology to support offering more convenient healthcare.
March 20. CVS starts selling cannabis-based products in eight states
April 4. CVS expands its same-day prescription delivery service to 6,000 stores.
May 1. CVS Health and Allentown, Pa.-based Lehigh Valley Health Network sign a five-year agreement that allows Lehigh Valley Health to share its EHR data with CVS to help connect the dots between patients, pharmacies, physicians and other health networks.
June 4. After success with its pilot sites in Houston, CVS Health announces plans to open 1,500 HealthHub stores by the end of 2021.
June 11. CVS Health launches a platform that will allow its pharmacy benefit management clients to better manage contracts with third-party health and wellness vendors. The tool, Vendor Benefit Management, will offer CVS Caremark clients access to data on negotiated pricing, real-time eligibility verification and simpler billing and payment processing.
July 10. MinuteClinic, CVS Health’s retail medical clinic, launches telehealth programs in eight more states. Patients with minor illnesses, injuries or skin conditions now can seek care through virtual video visits, including in Indiana
July 17. CVS Health starts clinical trials of a home kidney dialysis device, HemoCare — a move that could shake up the end-stage kidney care market and create a new healthcare business for the retail pharmacy giant. The move to provide at-home dialysis matches other trends to provide more medical care in the home setting.
July 24. CVS Health launches a network to help connect Aetna’s most vulnerable patients to support services in their communities. CVS will collaborate with Unite Us, a social care coordination platform, to help Aetna’s Medicaid and dual-eligible Medicaid and Medicare members more easily access social services in their communities.
Aug. 5. CVS Health expands its pharmacy loyalty and membership program nationwide. The CarePass program offers delivery of products ranging from shampoo to prescription medications. To participate, program customers pay $5 a month, or $48 annually, for one- to two-day delivery of drugstore products and prescription drugs, 24/7 access to a pharmacist helpline and a 20 percent discount on CVS Health-branded products.
Full article at Becker’s Hospital Review
