Healthcare Clinics at Select Walgreens Receive National Recognition from the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC)

Primary care accreditation endorses clinical excellence and quality of care

Healthcare Clinics at Select Walgreens Receive National Recognition from the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC)

WalgreensJim Cohn847-315-2950

Walgreens (NYSE:WAG) (Nasdaq:WAG) and the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) today announced that Healthcare Clinics at select Walgreensstores nationwide have received accreditation from the nationally recognized organization.

The accreditation is a symbol of quality recognizing that each Healthcare Clinic meets AAAHC requirements, embodying best practices and operating in compliance with nationally recognized Standards of care. Specifically, the accreditation distinguishes Healthcare Clinics at select Walgreens as delivering high-quality care in an environment that promotes patient safety.

“AAAHC shares our focus on high-quality, affordable and coordinated patient care, and the accreditation is another important step in Walgreens evolution from traditional retail drugstore to a community health care destination,” said Heather Helle, divisional vice president, Walgreens consumer solutions group. “The AAAHC accreditation process requires a rigorous and complex series of evaluations, and we’re proud to be recognized for delivering the highest levels of comprehensive, quality care to our patients in order to help them get, stay and live well.”

As part of the accreditation process, AAAHC representatives evaluated Healthcare Clinic at select Walgreens professionals in the clinic setting, interviewed executive leadership and conducted patient surveys. AAAHC has established specific Standards that require clinics to be patient-centered, comprehensive, accessible and to coordinate care with all of the patients’ primary care and specialty care provider teams.

“The role of retail clinics continues to grow and gain momentum as a valuable access point for care, and this setting is poised to grow in importance and value as millions of Americans enter the system under health care reform,” said John Burke, PhD, president and CEO, AAAHC. “We are pleased to add Healthcare Clinics at select Walgreens to our accredited members and congratulate them on their successful completion of the process.”

There are more than 400 Healthcare Clinics at select Walgreens stores across the U.S.

The accreditation of the retail clinics follows the company’s worksite health center accreditation through AAAHC, announced last December. Walgreens Employer Solutions Group, which manages more than 370 worksite health centers nationwide, received AAAHC Medical Home accreditation, recognizing that each location meets AAAHC requirements to be considered a patient-centered medical home, embodying best practices and operating in compliance with nationally recognized standards of care.

As the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2013 sales of $72 billion, Walgreens () vision is to be the first choice in health and daily living for everyone in America, and beyond. Each day, Walgreens provides more than 6 million customers the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy services includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility and mail service, along with respiratory services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers and the public sector. The company operates 8,123 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Take Care Health Systems is a Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers, provider practices, and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 750 locations throughout the country.

The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), founded in 1979, is the leader in ambulatory health care accreditation with more than 5,500 organizations accredited nationwide. AAAHC accredits a variety of ambulatory health care organizations, including ambulatory surgery centers, office-based surgery centers, college student health centers, health plans/managed care organizations, military health care clinics, large medical and dental practices and medical homes. In 2010, AAAHC launched an international accreditation. AAAHC serves as an advocate for the provision of high-quality health care through the development of nationally recognized standards and through its survey and accreditation programs. AAAHC accreditation is recognized as a symbol of quality by third-party payers, medical organizations, liability insurance companies, state and federal agencies and the public. For more information visit