Analytics May Be the Secret Sauce to Propel CVS-Aetna Forward
In a recent post, I discussed the CVS purchase of Aetna and speculated on the benefits that might accrue to the merged company (see:Merged CVS and Aetna Will Move Toward a Community-Based Healthcare Model). In an initial press release, CVS executives announced that the diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases would become a special focus. Below is an excerpt from this statement by the company:Because the storefront pharmacies and MinuteClinics are embedded in local communities and have become places that Americans frequent,...the combined company will be better able to manage patients with chronic diseases, who may see their primary care doctor only three or four times a year.Patients with chronic diseases represent the lion's share of healthcare spending. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 86% of the nation's $2.7 trillion annual healthcare costs go to patients with chronic and mental health conditions.I can easily understand why this large, vertically integrated healthcare company would want to focus on patients with chronic diseases. They account for a very large percentage of healthcare expenditures in the country. However, I did wonder why the company assumed that it could deliver better and less expensive services to these patients than current health systems and physician practices. I discovered a possible answer to this question in another article commenting on the purchase (see:CVS Health and Aetna bet $69 billion merger on analyt...
Source: Lab Soft News - Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Bruce Friedman Tags: Healthcare Business Healthcare Delivery Healthcare Information Technology Healthcare Insurance Preventive Medicine Source Type: blogs