Would you do sun salutations at your local pharmacy? CVS Health is betting that consumers seeking easily accessible healthy program offerings may be more than willing to drop into, say, an in-store yoga studio.
That’s the idea behind a new pilot program, CVS HealthHUB, which debuted in three Houston locations on Wednesday. Twenty percent of each HealthHUB store is dedicated to health services and digital products, and so far, those offerings include CVS Minute Clinics, in-person counseling and education programs with clinicians, and community wellness spaces that can be rented for events and classes. According to USA Today, those could even include yoga.
The pilot program begins on the heels of CVS Health finalizing the $69 billion acquisition of insurer Aetna, a merger that is expected to see CVS moving more toward a full-scale supply chain of services, from preventative care to prescription drugs. Of the new HealthHUB pilot, CVS Health chief transformation officer Alan Lotvin said, “We believe that transforming the consumer health care experience begins with creating a new front door to health care.”
With nearly 10,000 store locations, (CVS) CVS Health is one of the nation’s largest retailers, so some experimenting in specific locations and services makes sense to test the market for new consumer-focused products. For example, back in June 2018, CVS launched nationwide prescription drug delivery. CVS also recently rolled out a pilot program in six locations outfitted with in-store kiosks to create models for invisible braces sold by SmileDirectClub. Walgreens has also been experimenting with offering dental care in stores, partnering with Aspen Dental to open clinics in select locations.