CVS Pushes Online Health Care

(MoneyWatch)  CVS is expanding health care services online to make them more comprehensive and accessible to consumers at a time when medical concerns are gaining and other retailers are encroaching on their wellness territory.

To improve access to medical information, CVS is expanding a program with Google Health that give its pharmacy customers the ability to securely download prescription and medication histories to their Google Health Account. Additionally, patients who receive treatment at its MinuteClinics can import visit summaries into those accounts. MinuteClinic is a CVS subsidiary that operates centers where consumers can access inexpensive health services including routine screenings, treatment for minor injuries or illnesses.

CVS Caremark has partnered with Google Health since it was launched in May 2008 to pioneer the kind of electronic record keeping the Obama administration is exploring as part of health care reform. The drug chain's CVS Caremark division, which provides pharmacy benefit management services for companies, already allows its customers to store, organize, and manage their prescription history information online using Google Health.

To increase accessibility of its online services, the CVS Caremark division is launching a Spanish-language version of Caremark.com. There, Spanish speakers can conveniently access online medical information, refill mail service prescriptions, view medication history and manage their drug-related benefits without the uncertainty many face trying to navigate an English-language site. The Spanish-language site has its own web address, http://Espanol.Caremark.com., or can be access from the main CVS Caremark site via a link.

The web site represents the first phase of a larger CVS Caremark effort to establish consistent access to its services for both English- and Spanish-speaking members.

Ethnic consumers facing service barriers, an aging population, more people losing benefits due to unemployment and health care reform measures under debate in Washington are making medical issues more urgent. Retailers including Wal-Mart, Kroger and Meijer have made providing health care services an increasingly important part of their offering to consumers as they expand free or low cost prescription drug programs, inoculation drives and their own clinics.

Drug chains, naturally enough, have been in the forefront of retail efforts to expand into new segments of the health care business, providing benefits services and on site commercial clinics to businesses on a contract basis. Health care is a lucrative, growing opportunity for retailers so drug chains will have to work hard to maintain their advantage. Their competition, which already draws shoppers for food and other everyday needs, is retooling operations to entice consumers over to their health services initiatives. Walgreens recently offered free services at its Take Care clinics for consumers who lose their jobs after March 31. Boosting its online element provides CVS with its own counter measure.