Rite Aid Launches Telehealth Program With Direct-to-Consumer Kiosks
The pharmacy chain has rolled out its direct-to-consumer telehealth platform in Pennsylvania, joining a crowded landscape that aims to bring connected health services into retail locations.
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By - Rite Aid has opened telehealth kiosks in two Pennsylvania stores, the first step in its long-awaited direct-to-consumer connected health program aimed at competing with the likes of Walgreens, CVS and Walmart.
The opening of RediClinic Express kiosks in Drexel Hill and West Chester culminates a partnership forged last July with InTouch Health, the California-based company whose Solo telemedicine platform powers the kiosks. Three more kiosks will be opened soon in Rite Aid stores in Langhorne, Huntingdon Valley and Narberth.
“Virtual care is another opportunity for Rite Aid to offer patients the convenience of faster service and value-based healthcare,” Jocelyn Konrad, the pharmacy chain’s executive vice president of pharmacy and retail operations, said in a press release. “We are continually looking for ways to serve our patients differently by utilizing technology and are excited to launch virtual care via our initial RediClinic Express kiosks and look forward to improving healthcare outcomes of our customers in those communities.”
Those wishing to use the kiosks for treatment of a non-urgent health issue can schedule an appointment online or at the kiosk, either through a touchscreen portal or by speaking to a clinical assistant at the site. That assistant gathers vital signs and hands out a questionnaire, after which the patient is matched with an available clinician for a virtual visit in the kiosk.
The announcement continues a busy stretch for DTC telehealth in the retail landscape.
Just a few weeks ago, CVS Health announced that its telehealth service, available on the MinuteClinic app through the Teladoc Health platform, is now available in 26 states and the District of Columbia. And this past January, Walgreens – which is partnering with MDLive on its “Find Care Now” telehealth service – announced plans to work with Microsoft on a connected health initiative that aims to include telehealth stations, digital health tools and a “seamless ecosystem” that connects the consumer to providers, payers and others in the healthcare landscape.
Regional chains are also getting in on the action. Earlier this month, Publix – which has partnerships in place with two Florida health systems – expanded its telehealth network to South Carolina in a deal with Beaufort Memorial Hospital. And last December, UPMC announced plans to build out its telehealth platform in a deal with the Giant Eagle supermarket chain.
