Using advanced environmental data analytics,
the company powers personalized solutions to manage and protect
people most at-risk from extreme weather events, including
heat waves
WOONSOCKET, R.I., Aug. 1, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- CVS Health® (NYSE: CVS) today announced
a first-of-its-kind environmental health impact initiative to help
people most vulnerable to extreme weather events that can worsen
existing chronic conditions.
The initiative is focusing first on extreme heat events to
provide timely excessive heat alerts and tailored outreach to
at-risk patients, and will expand in the fall to patients
susceptible to reduced lung function, asthma and cardiac problems
resulting from exposure to high levels of air pollution. Excessive
weather events are becoming more common and severe, according to
the U.S. Global Change Research Program's Fifth National Climate
Assessment1.
"Extreme heat kills more Americans each year than all other
weather events combined. In addition to fatalities driven by heat
strokes, extreme heat can worsen chronic conditions such as
cardiovascular disease, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease," said Dr. Dan Knecht, a
practicing physician and vice president and chief clinical
innovation officer for CVS Caremark®, a division of CVS
Health. "Most heat-related deaths are preventable with outreach and
intervention. We are proud to introduce a new capability that
advances our efforts to find innovative ways to deliver
personalized health care to consumers."
Initially available to members of Aetna, a CVS Health company,
with the goal to expand to MinuteClinic® and CVS
Pharmacy® locations, the initiative pairs advanced
environmental data analytics that provide real-time and highly
localized forecasting on air quality, wildfires, weather and other
environmental factors with a patient's medical and pharmacy
data.
The proactive approach enables Aetna care managers to contact
vulnerable patients with personalized recommendations up to seven
days in advance of an extreme weather event. Interventions include
directing patients to CVS Health's range of resources, including
Oak Street Health clinics available as cooling centers, health
services provided by the company's MinuteClinic locations,
medication management at CVS Pharmacy and more. Care managers use
several resources when making clinical recommendations to at-risk
patients, including CDC clinical guidance
documents.
During the first two weeks of the initiative, care managers have
connected with hundreds of at-risk patients across more than 20
states, including directing some to cooling centers and checking in
with vulnerable patients post-hospital care to provide guidance to
minimize heat exhaustion. In addition to improved health,
anticipated outcomes include reduced medical expenditures and
minimized in-patient stays and emergency department visits.
About CVS Health
CVS Health® is the
leading health solutions company, delivering care like no one else
can. We reach more people and improve the health of communities
across America through our local presence, digital channels and
over 300,000 dedicated colleagues — including more than 40,000
physicians, pharmacists, nurses and nurse practitioners. Wherever
and whenever people need us, we help them with their health —
whether that's managing chronic diseases, staying compliant with
their medications or accessing affordable health and wellness
services in the most convenient ways. We help people navigate the
health care system — and their personal health care — by improving
access, lowering costs and being a trusted partner for every
meaningful moment of health. And we do it all with heart, each and
every day. Follow @CVSHealth on social
media.
Media contact
Monica Prinzing
831-241-8294
Monica.Prinzing@CVSHealth.com
1 U.S. Global Change Research Program
(USGCRP). Fifth National Climate
Assessment. https://nca2023.globalchange.gov/chapter/2#key-message-2
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SOURCE CVS Health