Johns Hopkins, Walgreens collaborate to improve chronic care

Johns Hopkins Medicine has entered a partnership with Walgreens to improve outcomes of patients with chronic diseases, as well as collaborate on population-based research, the companies announced yesterday.

According to the agreement, John Hopkins and Walgreens will work together to explore innovative models for improving patient care, such as new educational and training programs for healthcare professionals within the Walgreens network.

"Combining our clinical expertise and research know-how with their nationwide resources--including pharmacies, clinics, worksite health centers, information systems and 70,000 health care service providers--will generate new approaches to improve population health," Fred Brancati, MD, professor of medicine and director of the Division of General Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said in a statement.

The healthcare collaboration's success hinges on sharing resources and data. The nation's largest drugstore chain will gain access to John Hopkins experts to help develop protocols and medical guidelines for reviewing and improving chronic care. Hopkins will utilize Walgreens' large patient and client base and advanced IT systems to design large-scale, population-based research for chronic disease management.

For more information:
- read the John Hopkins announcement