Walgreens and Providence Health and Services have announced a collaboration that will bring a Swedish Express Care Clinic to the Kirkland Walgreens location on Northeast 85th Street.
The collaboration is part of a plan to bring up to 25 new retail clinics to Oregon and Washington.
The clinics will be owned and operated by Providence and its affiliates. The Kirkland location will be one of the first to open in the state under the new agreement.
According to the two organizations, executives are hoping that the new clinics help to move forward retail clinics from urgent episodic care to more coordinated care. Kirkland currently has two Immediate Clinic Urgent Care locations – one in Juanita and one on Rose Hill, just blocks east from the Walgreens.
“This is a reflection of our efforts to develop deeper and more strategic relationships with our health system partners,” said Jeff Koziel, Walgreens group vice president for Healthcare Clinics. “Collaboration among providers is key in today’s health care environment, to help ensure continuity of patient care and to provide greater convenience and access for patients. We look forward to working with Providence to expand the retail clinic footprint at Walgreens, and to help manage patients for both pharmacy and medical needs.”
The Providence and Swedish electronic health record platform will connect directly to the clinics. Both records and care will be coordinated between visits, leading to overall better long-term health management for the consumer, according to the health care provider.
“Accessing quality health care should be convenient and simple,” said Mike Waters, senior vice president of physician services at Providence. “We believe this collaboration is a solution for health care providers to better serve populations. With Walgreens’ nationwide footprint and deep understanding of patients’ needs, together we can ease the way for consumers and ultimately, create healthier communities.”
The clinic will operate extended hours seven days a week, allow for walk-ins and same-day scheduling, and provide an after-hours option for care on evenings and weekends, according to the health care provider.
