Walgreens ‘Find Care’ Program Expands Care Management to People with COPD, Asthma, and Diabetes

The drugstore company Walgreens has expanded its Find Care program to include chronic care management for people with diabetes, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The expansion will include partnerships with device manufacturers to give patients access to tools that will help them better monitor their disease.

For people with asthma or COPD, this will come in the form of a partnership with Propeller Health.

Patients who enroll in the Propeller program will get a sensor that connects to their existing inhaler. The sensor, which tracks inhaler usage as well as location, is connected to an app on the patient’s phone. In addition to information about medication usage (and reminders to take them when necessary), the system provides data on air quality, insights into symptoms, and tips for disease management.

With the patient’s consent, the Propeller app can send information to the patient’s physician. This can help healthcare professionals monitor their patients in between hospital visits, and may also potentially decrease the rate of hospitalization for people with COPD.

Patients will also be able to refill inhaler prescriptions at Walgreens using the “My Pharmacy” feature of the Propeller app.

A similar setup is offered to patients with diabetes. Walgreens is partnering with Dexcom, which makes the Dexcom G6 Continuous Glucose Monitoring System that allows diabetic patients to monitor their glucose levels without the need for a finger prick.

Similar to the Propeller system, the Dexcom system can link to patients’ phones or smart devices, allowing continuous data access for patients and their caregivers. This device has been shown to reduce A1C (a measurement of blood sugar), and the frequency of hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) events in users.

Since its launch in July 2018, the Walgreens Find Care program has partnered with healthcare organizations such as Vanderbilt Health, Aspen Dental, Partners in Primary Care, Norton Healthcare, Community Health Network, and Houston Methodist.

“Walgreens Find Care delivers on our commitment to help customers improve their health by bringing together curated, proven, omnichannel healthcare solutions,” Giovanni Monti, vice president and director of healthcare innovation at Walgreens Boots Alliance, said in a press release.

“We believe that by integrating connected care devices, digital therapeutics, and the pharmacy experience, we’ll help individuals better manage their chronic conditions, while also lowering the overall cost of care,” Monti said.