Primary Care News
Walmart to open more health centers in Florida
Walmart Health recently announced plans to bring more accessible, convenient, and affordable healthcare to communities in Florida with 16 new health centers. The locations will span the metro areas of Jacksonville, Orlando, and Tampa and will open by fall 2023.
“As the population in Florida continues to grow at more than double the rate of the rest of the United States, so does the need to increase access to quality health care,” said Dr. David Carmouche, senior vice president, Omnichannel Care Offerings at Walmart. “With these 16 new Walmart Health centers across the state, even more Floridians will have easy access to a wide range of high-quality health services at convenient hours and easy to understand prices.”
The new state-of-the-art facilities, located beside Walmart Supercenters, will provide a range of healthcare services seven days a week in one convenient location for members of the local community, so they can get the right care at the right time, right in their backyard. These services may vary by location, but include primary care, labs, X-ray and EKG, behavioral health, dental, hearing, select specialty services, and community health.
Walmart Health’s first 6 locations in Florida opened in 2022 and are demonstrating early success in providing convenient access to quality care, the company said. Walmart Health is operated by qualified medical professionals, including physicians, nurse practitioners, dentists, behavioral health providers and optometrists.
First launched in 2019, Walmart Health offers primary and urgent care, labs, x-ray and diagnostics, behavioral health, dental, optometry, and hearing services all in one facility located next door to a Walmart Supercenter. Walmart Health offers omnichannel access to care seven days a week at convenient hours through in-person centers and Walmart Health Virtual Care. As of this fall, Walmart Health has 32 locations in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, and Texas. Additional information can be found by visiting walmarthealth.com. Beginning in January 2023, select Walmart Health centers in Florida and Georgia will also offer comprehensive value-based care to certain Medicare Advantage patients, as part of a recent collaboration announcement between Walmart and UnitedHealth Group.
Industry News
CME announces expansion of its executive team
CME Corp. announced the expansion of its executive team with the addition of Maricar Caressimo, chief human resources officer and Kristen Sisson, chief marketing officer.
“We are very excited to add Kristen and Maricar to the team. Fresh ideas, new skill sets, and increased diversity will enrich our executive team and, ultimately, our company,” said Cindy Juhas, chief strategy officer at CME Corp.
In her role as CHRO, Maricar will lead the development and execution of our organization’s human resources strategy. This includes the implementation of all HR programs, initiatives, and practices company wide. She has over 20 years of progressive human resources leadership experience across multiple industries including pharmaceutical, retail, precious metals and engineering services.
As CMO, Kristen is responsible for developing our marketing strategy and execution aligned to our business growth initiatives. She will also define our ecommerce strategy and lead our web sales and product data management teams. Kristen has over 25 years of marketing, channel, and ecommerce experience, building and leading successful teams globally.
“The new additions to our executive team are aligned with the growth and trajectory of our business. We continue to strive to deliver the best possible experience to our customers, no matter the touchpoint. Adding marketing and HR to our executive team will help us continue to scale our business to meet the demands of our customers and the healthcare industry,” Normand Chevrette, CEO and President of CME Corp.
McKesson opens its most technologically advanced healthcare distribution center in Ohio
McKesson Corporation has opened a new state-of-the-art pharmaceutical distribution center in Jeffersonville, Ohio, centrally located between Cincinnati and Columbus. The new facility will distribute pharmaceutical, over-the-counter (OTC) and home healthcare (HHC) products as well as consumer packaged goods (CPG) to customers across Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Set on approximately 40 acres, the 475,000-square-foot facility houses the most advanced automation in supply chain technology that will optimize efficiency and productivity to provide exceptional service to customers. The Central Ohio distribution center can process double the amount of volume compared to McKesson’s current largest distribution center. Strategically located to serve customers across the region, the facility is fitted with automated putaway, replenishment and order filling processes as well as a tote washer and robotic palletizer to handle volume increases and growth over time.
By automating redundancies and labor-intensive tasks, McKesson employees are able to focus on more fulfilling tasks that have a more direct impact on customer orders. The space was also thoughtfully designed with employee wellness in mind, featuring high-bay windows for natural light, increased capacity for training rooms, and a walking trail around the property’s pond.
In addition to distribution technologies and efficiencies, this center also includes several sustainability attributes, such as:
- Roof structure designed to accommodate future solar panels
- Electric car charging stations
- LED lighting inside and outside
- Low-flow plumbing fixtures
- Motion sensors to reduce unnecessary water and electricity usage
BD achieves ISO certification for its enterprise-level ISMS
BD announced its enterprise-level Information Security Management System (ISMS) has been certified to a rigorous set of independently audited international standards for information security, further demonstrating the company’s ongoing commitment to protecting BD, its customers and patients from cybersecurity risks.
ISO/IEC 27001:2022 is a globally recognized set of inormation security standards established by the International Standards Organization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Certification provides assurance that an organization conforms with specific requirements for managing information security, including establishing, implementing, maintaining and continually improving its Information Security Management System (ISMS).
“Cybersecurity continues to be a top priority for Merck and all of health care,” said Michael Harrison, associate director of supplier risk management for Merck. “As an important supplier to Merck, BD’s ISO 27001 certification demonstrates it is aligned with Merck’s cybersecurity priorities and is committed to maintaining a cybersecurity program designed to protect medical devices, hospitals and patients.”
ISO/IEC 27001:2022 standards also include requirements for assessing and addressing information security risks. During the two-stage external audit process, auditors verified the company’s Information Security policies, Statement of Applicability (SoA) and Risk Treatment Plan (RTP) to certify that BD meets ISO/IEC 27001:2022 requirements.
“ISO 27001 certification provides fundamental assurance for customers that BD meets rigorous international standards for managing information security, including protected health information and personal identifiable information,” said Rob Suarez, chief information security officer for BD. “This distinction validates that our system for managing information security is appropriately designed and implemented, which is especially critical as regulatory demands for effective cybersecurity controls increase around the world.”
The Owens & Minor Foundation announces donation to NAFC
The Owens & Minor Foundation announced a donation of $100,000 to the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC), a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that the medically underserved have access to affordable quality healthcare. The donation was presented at NAFC’s annual Charitable Healthcare Symposium by Dan Starck, EVP and President of Patient Direct for Owens & Minor and CEO of Apria.
“We deeply value the support of like-minded partners such as the Owens & Minor Foundation that are committed
to the benefits of a community-based approach in improving access to healthcare,” commented Nicole Lamoureux, President, and CEO of the National Association for Free and Charitable Clinics. “This contribution will help NAFC continue providing the vital support our member clinics and pharmacies rely on to deliver patient care to those in need.”
The NAFC represents more than 1,400 free and charitable clinics and pharmacies across the United States that serve as safety nets for uninsured and underinsured people who may not otherwise have access healthcare, regardless of the patient’s ability to pay. Health clinics and pharmacies affiliated with NAFC are 501(c)(3) organizations that provide a range of medical, dental, pharmacy, vision and/or behavioral health services and utilize a primarily volunteer-based service model to administer patient care. In 2021, NAFC clinics and pharmacies delivered care to approximately 1.8M patients nationwide.
“We’re proud to support an organization like the NAFC, which has a mission so closely aligned with our own,” said Faith Cristol, President, Owens & Minor Foundation. “Helping to build healthier communities and creating possibilities for people to lead healthier lives is an essential part of the focus for the Owens & Minor Foundation and builds on Owens & Minor’s longstanding legacy of service.”
The donation will be used for NAFC programming and to create health equity scholarship opportunities for members to participate in NAFC activities. Earlier this year, the Owens & Minor Foundation contributed $10,000 to NAFC to help clinics in Florida impacted by Hurricane Ian.
Health o meter Professional Scales, Ceiba Healthcare announce collaboration to bring state-of-the-art EMR integration to customers
Pelstar LLC, manufacturer of Health o meter® Professional Scales, and Ceiba Healthcare announce a strategic collaboration that allows customers to access true state-of-the-art EMR integration technologies for their patient weight data. “As the North American leader in patient weighing products, and EMR connected scales, Health o meter® Professional has been producing EMR compatible scales for more than 15 years” says Scott Gottman, Director of Product Management and Business Development at Pelstar.
“We’re pleased to collaborate with Pelstar to bring Ceiba Healthcare’s device-agnostic IoMT interoperability to Health o meter® Professional Scale customers looking to integrate their weight and height measurements into their EHR system. Adding Health o meter® Professional products to the 1,000+ devices already supported by Ceiba Healthcare, brings true HL7 Fast Hospital Interoperability Resource (FHIR) data encryption to their integration initiatives” says Brett Busse, Director of Business Development for Ceiba Healthcare.
Ceiba Healthcare’s IoMT eConnect Box and Cloud platform allow customers to swiftly and securely integrate both their existing and new Health o meter® Professional scales to 20+ EHRs or third-party systems. Ceiba’s proprietary technologies allows system implementation to be completed in less than three days with minimal IT support. Coupled with Ceiba’s 24/7 worldwide support, health systems can now easily integrate their patient weighing products and more than 1,000 other medical devices with their EHR systems.
Former Fortune 500 healthcare executive joins AliMed as SVP of Commercial Growth and Development
AliMed has announced that Jeff Hastings has joined its Senior Leadership Team as the Senior Vice President of Commercial Growth and Development.
In his new role, Hastings will lead AliMed’s national sales and sales support teams, spearheading commercial expansion of its product portfolio to strengthen the company’s position and market share in both the acute and post-acute care space. Additionally, Hastings will drive efforts to develop and execute programs with preferred suppliers, build on core contract positions within the GPO, federal government, and healthcare-provider segments, and enhance the customer experience.
“Jeff has relentlessly proven over his more than 20 years in healthcare leadership to be a key cog in some very critical and highly strategic endeavors,” said Adam S. Epstein, CEO of AliMed. “He is superbly skilled at developing and leading high-performing sales teams with a track record for elevating companies to the next level. We are very excited to welcome Jeff and his talents to our team.”
As an influential senior executive in the healthcare industry, Hastings brings decades of leadership experience to AliMed. He has led major corporate initiatives focused on strategic transformation, portfolio diversification, and revenue acceleration for long-term sustainability at some of the nation’s largest healthcare organizations, including Owens and Minor, Cardinal Health, Hill-Rom, Roche Diagnostics, and Vizient (formerly MedAssets). Most recently, Hastings was operating partner at Mountain Pacific Fund, a life sciences investment firm based in Salt Lake City.
A native of Ohio, Hastings holds a master’s degree in Education from the University of Akron and a bachelor’s degree in Sports Medicine and Health Education from Ashland University.