Walgreens Dives into the COVID-19 Testing Pool, Hoping to Draw More Patients

In line with recent efforts by retail drugstores to bulk up primary care-type offerings, Walgreens plans to open 15 drive-thru COVID-19 testing locations in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Texas. The company says it chose locations after consulting with the Department of Health and Human Services on areas where the virus is on the rise. The move comes weeks after Walgreens, CVS Health, Target, and Walmart joined President Trump to discuss how retailers could help the U.S. catch up on the late start it got on making testing widely available. While the intention is a noble one, and the effort could certainly help during this time of crisis, concerns remain over melding higher-acuity clinical services in a retail store. Pharmacist prescribing is a prime example. For more on that, read Prescribing Pharmacists: Cheaper and More Accessible Than Urgent Care? in the JUCM archive.