Picture: Joe Raedle/Getty Photographs
Walgreens has stated it’s the first neighborhood pharmacy to simply accept a variety of Medicare Benefit supplemental advantages on-line, by way of its web site and the Walgreens app, permitting eligible members to buy from a catalog of roughly 1,700 eligible merchandise. on Walgreens digital channels.
Shoppers have been capable of store utilizing their Medicare Benefit supplemental advantages in shops since 2019. The transfer expands that to on-line marketplaces that serve shoppers no matter fee technique.
The brand new providing additionally gives extra digital well being and wellness choices, together with 30-minute pickup and 1-hour supply of retail merchandise; same-day prescription supply; Walgreens Rx Financial savings Finder; Walgreens Digital Healthcare; and Senior Residents' Day, which is well known each first Tuesday of every month.
WHAT IS THE IMPACT?
Beneath the brand new providing, members can browse eligible merchandise primarily based on their plan on Walgreens.com and the Walgreens app by way of a devoted OTC touchdown web page. Members will see a listing of eligible objects related to their plan together with eligible over-the-counter objects widespread throughout varied plans.
They will additionally buy eligible over-the-counter objects by coming into their Medicare Benefit card numbers as the primary type of fee. Eligible OTC merchandise can be paid for utilizing obtainable funds in your card. Members should use one other type of fee for objects outdoors of their over-the-counter supplemental advantages.
Members can even take part in Walgreens Senior Day, the place sufferers age 55 and older and their caregivers can save 20% on eligible regular-priced merchandise on the primary Tuesday of each month.
Pickup or supply choices embrace one-hour and 24-hour same-day supply choices. Walgreens stated it continues so as to add new fee plans for OTC and related eligible objects.
THE BIGGEST TREND
In January, Walgreens Boots Alliance agreed to pay $360 million to Humana to settle a lawsuit that alleged the retail pharmacy overcharged for prescription drug reimbursements.
Humana filed a lawsuit in opposition to Walgreens in February 2022, alleging that the retailer had inflated prescription drug costs for years. The insurer acquired $642 million in non-public arbitration.
Weeks later, Walgreens stated it was participating in cost-cutting efforts and would shut roughly 60 VillageMD clinics that it thought of underperforming. The corporate may also exit 5 markets following weaker-than-expected earnings within the fourth quarter.
Walgreens' VillageMD can be reportedly closing six clinics in Chicago.
Walgreens launched weak income projections for this yr primarily based on poor fiscal efficiency in 2023. The corporate reported fourth-quarter working losses of $450 million, in comparison with working losses of $822 million through the fourth quarter of 2022. The web loss within the fourth quarter was $180 million. in comparison with a internet lack of $415 million within the prior-year quarter.
One other part of the corporate's billion-dollar cost-cutting initiative was the layoff of 267 company workers, or 5% of its workforce. That measure was introduced in November.
IN THE REGISTER
“As a well being and wellness vacation spot for all, Walgreens is at all times in search of methods to enhance the client expertise with options for each shopper,” stated Tracey D. Brown, govt vice chairman, president of Walgreens Retail and chief buyer officer. “Accepting Medicare Benefit supplemental advantages on-line and within the Walgreens app improves buying options for many who are homebound, have restricted mobility, or are merely brief on time.”
Jeff Lagasse is editor of Healthcare Finance Information.
E-mail: jlagasse@himss.org
Healthcare Finance Information is printed by HIMSS Media.