CVS is revamping its stores to take on Amazon and prepare for the future of healthcare. Take a look inside.
CVS Health, the largest pharmacy chain in the US, set up its first three "HealthHUBs" in Houston in February.
It now plans to build the hubs in 1,500 locations by the end of 2021.
By the end of this year, CVS plans to open up more HealthHubs in Houston, as well as in Atlanta, Philadelphia and southern New Jersey, and Tampa, Florida.
The HealthHub stores have an increased focus on health services, including a wellness center and more chronic care management for diseases like diabetes.
Take a look inside one of the new stores that could change how Americans get their healthcare.
CVS Health and Aetna officially merged at the end of 2018, combining a chain of nearly 10,000 pharmacies that also owns a drug benefits business with one of the biggest US health insurers.
The result is an entirely new healthcare company that can wield a tremendous amount of power over how healthcare gets paid for and provided to patients.
One of the ways CVS is focusing that power is through new "HealthHUB" stores, the first three of which opened in Houston in February.
CVS on Tuesday announced plans to roll out the model nationally. By the end of 2021, the company plans to turn 1,500 of its pharmacies into locations that can provide an array of healthcare services. CVS also said Tuesday that it plans to open more hubs in Houston, as well as locations in Atlanta, Philadelphia and southern New Jersey, and Tampa, Florida by the end of 2019.
The stores have an increased focus on health services, including a wellness center and more chronic care management for diseases like diabetes, committing about 20% of the physical store space to health endeavors rather than snacks or other convenient store supplies.
The strategy also helps CVS find new use for the floor space in its 9,800 locations, as customers increasingly shop for everyday goods on websites like Amazon. And providing more care in stores can help CVS counter forays by rivals like Amazon into healthcare. Amazon, for its part, acquired the pharmacy startup PillPack last year, marking its entry into the drug-delivery business.
