DEERFIELD, Ill.--Adding to its expanding health care service
portfolio, drugstore giant Walgreens has entered a joint venture
through its OptionCare arm with Vanderbilt Medical Center, a
Nashville-based comprehensive health care facility and a major
patient referral center for the mid-South. The venture will operate
under the name Vanderbilt Home Care, affiliated with Walgreens
Infusion and Respiratory Services, and will be located in
Brentwood, Tenn.
“The opportunity to join with a leading regional medical
center in the provision of home infusion and respiratory services
provides us with the opportunity to strengthen the services we
offer our patients,” said Paul Mastrapa, president of
Walgreens-OptionCare. “Vanderbilt’s commitment to
clinical excellence and to delivering positive patient experiences
mirrors our own. Together we will continue to focus on providing
care and service in the best way possible for our
patients.”
The center initially will offer home infusion for anti-infectives,
inotropics, parenteral nutrition, pain management and other
therapies.
“While the initial service provided by our joint venture is
home infusion therapy,” Mastrapa said, “plans call for
the addition of home respiratory services later this
year.”
Vanderbilt also operates a traditional home health agency in
addition to the Walgreens joint venture. The agency provides
nursing, physical, speech and occupational therapies, social work
and private duty services and will support the infusion nursing
needs required for home infusion therapies.
“Vanderbilt Medical Center has a long heritage in the values
of continuum of care. For the past 24 years, Vanderbilt has
provided home health services to the community, and we are
particularly interested in enhancing and improving the services we
have to offer. A joint venture with a company like Walgreens allows
us to enhance the way we meet our mission by providing home
infusion, respiratory services and durable medical equipment for
all patients in the community. The value of this partnership allows
patients to receive care in their homes and promotes independence
and wellness in the community,” said Laura Beth Brown,
president of Vanderbilt Home Health Care Services.
This is the fourth such venture for Walgreens, which has similar
agreements with organizations in Idaho, Ohio and Oregon.
In February, OptionCare added CareMax Medical Resources, which
offers home infusion, respiratory and DME in Colorado, Florida,
Pennsylvania and Texas. And in May, the company purchased Air
Products’ U.S. home infusion business.
Walgreens now offers home infusion, respiratory/oxygen and HME
through more than 100 facilities in 36 states.
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