Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Medicine and national drugstore chain Walgreens have entered into a wide-ranging agreement designed to promote collaboration on population-based research and develop protocols to improve outcomes of patients with chronic diseases.
“Improving the care of people with chronic conditions like asthma, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and heart disease is a central goal of health professionals, health systems and U.S. policy makers,” said Fred Brancati, MD, professor of medicine and director of the Division of General Internal Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “It makes sense medically, and under healthcare reform it makes sense financially, too. It’s a part of the Hopkins mission that Walgreens can help us advance. Combining our clinical expertise and research know-how with their nationwide resources – including pharmacies, clinics, worksite health centers, information systems and 70,000 healthcare service providers – will generate new approaches to improve population health.”
Officials said the agreement allows JHM to develop population-based research ideas with a nationwide industry leader who is committed to improving healthcare outcomes and possesses advanced data systems and a large patient base – prerequisites for such large-scale studies. As part of a commitment to patient privacy, all patient information used for these studies will be anonymous.
“With its large patient and client base, sophisticated IT infrastructure and commitment to improving healthcare outcomes for its patients, Walgreens provides us with a unique opportunity to conduct large-scale population-based research,” said Patricia Brown, president of Johns Hopkins HealthCare LLC, “It also affords us the chance to augment Walgreens’ existing quality and education programs to enhance care and outcomes for a very large number of people.”
The collaboration will allow the two organizations to explore the development of new models for improving care for individuals. This will include the creation of new educational and training programs for Walgreens’ 70,000 healthcare service providers.
“By collaborating with Johns Hopkins Medicine, we will access some of the best expertise in healthcare to develop research, protocols and training programs designed to improve patient outcomes through our nationwide network of accessible community pharmacists, nurse practitioners, physicians and other clinicians,” said Kermit Crawford, president of pharmacy, health and wellness at Walgreens.
The agreement sets up opportunities for:
- Research Programs. In conjunction with the current Walgreens research team, JHM experts will develop new ideas for research in disease management, screening and prevention that they will spin off into proposals for funding.
- Clinical Protocol Development/Review. Johns Hopkins faculty are international leaders in developing healthcare protocols, medical guidelines and algorithms for chronic disease management. They will work with Walgreens experts to review and improve care.
- Professional Training. By leveraging the capabilities of onsite and distance education for physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, technicians, pharmacists and others, JHM will work to develop a comprehensive program to expand and enhance the ongoing professional education of professionals in the Walgreens network.
- Clinical Program Development and Health Plan Services. JHM and Walgreens will explore the possibility of jointly developing lifestyle, chronic care and disease-specific programs.