CVS Health Unveils Telehealth Solution For Aetna, Caremark Members

CVS Health has launched a new virtual care solution to create a more coordinated healthcare experience for consumers.

Called CVS Health Virtual Primary Care, the digital care platform will provide healthcare consumers with an array of care services, including primary care, on-demand care, chronic condition management, and mental health services. Consumers will also be able to choose their healthcare setting from various retail, community-based, virtual, and at-home care options.

"We're meeting people where they are on their healthcare journey and providing care that is more convenient and easier to access," said Creagh Milford, DO, vice president, enterprise virtual care at CVS Health, in the news release.

The new solution will become effective for eligible Aetna members starting Jan. 1, 2023, and eligible CVS Caremark members during the second quarter of 2023.

Through CVS Health Virtual Primary Care, members will be able to choose a physician-led care team that includes nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and licensed vocational nurses. The care team will consult with a CVS pharmacist and connect patients with in-person care when needed. This includes helping consumers identify in-network specialists and other health service providers.

CVS Health Virtual Primary Care will also leverage an interoperable EHR to enable data-sharing between virtual and in-person settings.

"By offering a connected care team where providers can easily exchange clinical information on behalf of their patients, and an extensive local footprint for in-person care follow-up, we're able to provide consistent, high-quality care," Milford said. "This model shifts from reactive to proactive care that can ultimately improve outcomes and help lower costs."

This move bolsters CVS Health's overall virtual care strategy. MinuteClinic began piloting telehealth services in 2015 and currently offers virtual visits for general medical care and some mental health services, according to the press release.

In 2021, CVS Health launched Aetna Virtual Primary Care, a telehealth platform that combined in-person and virtual care for self-funded businesses.

Over the past year, retailers, including CVS's biggest competitor, have taken significant steps to bulk up their virtual care offerings.

In 2020, Walgreens announced a partnership with VillageMD to open connected health clinics in as many as 700 locations across the country. Then, in the following year, Walgreens announced 11 new and four expanded connected health partnerships with care providers on its Walgreens Find Care platform, which gave its customers online access to more than 45 services.

This month, Walmart Health's national telehealth provider MeMD launched the Walmart Health Virtual Care Diabetes Program.

Payers, too, have been expanding their telehealth offerings. Cigna announced a wider array of virtual healthcare services for its members following its acquisition of telehealth platform MDLIVE, and UnitedHealthcare members in employer-sponsored health plans recently gained access to virtual physical therapy.