NewYork-Presbyterian and Walgreens Collaborate To Bring World-Class Care Through Telemedicine

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Dec 11, 2017, 08:00 ET

NEW YORK and DEERFIELD, Ill., Dec. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- NewYork-Presbyterian and Walgreens are collaborating to bring convenient access to NewYork-Presbyterian's world-class care through new telemedicine services, now available through Walgreens digital properties and at self-service kiosks at select Duane Reade drugstores in New York. NewYork-Presbyterian, New York's No. 1 hospital, is offering the telemedicine services as part of its NYP OnDemand suite of digital health services.

"We are delighted to work with Walgreens to bring NewYork-Presbyterian's world-class care right to your neighborhood drugstore with this exciting new platform," said Dr. Steven J. Corwin, president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian. "Patients can expect to receive focused, one-on-one care from leading physicians, where and when they need it. We believe telemedicine has a critical role to play in expanding access to high-quality care, and we are proud to be at the forefront of digital healthcare delivery."

The first NewYork-Presbyterian NYP OnDemand kiosk is currently available at the Duane Reade location at 40 Wall Street in Manhattan, with additional locations expected to open in 2018. These kiosks, located in private, secure rooms inside the stores, offer instant examination, diagnosis and treatment of non-life threatening illnesses and injuries through NYP OnDemand Urgent Care. With the touch of a button, patients can reach board-certified Weill Cornell Medicine emergency medicine physicians, who provide exams through a high-definition video-conference connection. At the end of the examination, if the physician writes a prescription, it can be instantly sent to the patient's preferred pharmacy. Pediatric emergency medicine physicians will also be available to provide care during more limited hours. Physicians from ColumbiaDoctors are expected to participate in early 2018.

"These kiosks provide real-time care for our patients, enabling them to consult Weill Cornell Medicine physicians privately through the convenience of their local drugstores," said Dr. Augustine M.K. Choi, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine. "We are proud to work with NewYork-Presbyterian and Walgreens to extend the reach of our doctors beyond their offices, making healthcare accessible to patients across the city."

"This technology gives us another way to bring Columbia physicians to the neighborhoods where our patients live and work," said Dr. Lee Goldman, dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine and chief executive of Columbia University Irving Medical Center. "Improving access to doctors is a fundamental way to improve our patients' health and well-being."

In addition to the in-store kiosks, Walgreens customers in the New York area using the Walgreens website can access NYP OnDemand Urgent Care to video chat with board-certified emergency medicine doctors.

"We believe that telemedicine can play a critical role in connecting patients with providers," said Greg Orr, divisional vice president of digital health for Walgreens. "We can now help to bring awareness of services that are offered locally by trusted providers such as NewYork-Presbyterian. We are pleased that NewYork-Presbyterian will be the first local healthcare provider to collaborate with us on our evolving telehealth and digital strategy."

The kiosk experience is further enhanced with medical devices to provide key information to the physician during the virtual visit. These include a forehead thermometer that measures temperature with a gentle swipe of the forehead, a blood pressure cuff to measure blood pressure and a pulse oximeter that measures the amount of oxygen in the body. A dermascope, which allows the provider to see a high-resolution view of skin conditions, is also available.

"We've had much success over the years working with NewYork-Presbyterian at our on-site Walgreens pharmacy," said Dr. Pat Carroll, chief medical officer for Walgreens Healthcare Clinics. "We value this innovative collaboration and look forward to finding new and different ways to work together to enhance patient care."

Visit times are expected to take about 10 to 20 minutes but will vary depending on the patient's individual needs. The urgent care service is designed to care for non-life threatening conditions, illnesses and injuries such as: sore throat, allergies, rash, pink eye, abdominal pain, asthma, cold or the flu, dizziness, fever, and sprains. For a full list of conditions, please refer to: www.nyp.org/ondemand/urgent-care.

The kiosk hours at 40 Wall Street are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Pediatric emergency medicine physicians can be reached from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays.

The video visits are part of NewYork-Presbyterian's award-winning digital health suite of services, NYP OnDemand. Launched in 2016, NYP OnDemand, in collaboration with Weill Cornell Medicine and ColumbiaDoctors, is designed to improve access to NewYork-Presbyterian's world-class care, allowing patients to easily communicate with physicians from a mobile phone, tablet or computer – and now through these kiosks at select Duane Reade locations. To learn more, visit: http://www.nyp.org/ondemand/urgent-care-kiosk

NewYork-Presbyterian

NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the nation's most comprehensive, integrated academic healthcare delivery systems, whose organizations are dedicated to providing the highest quality, most compassionate care and service to patients in the New York metropolitan area, nationally, and throughout the globe. In collaboration with two renowned medical schools, Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University Irving Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian is consistently recognized as a leader in medical education, groundbreaking research and innovative, patient-centered clinical care.

NewYork-Presbyterian has four major divisions:

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is ranked #1 in the New York metropolitan area by U.S. News and World Report and repeatedly named to the Honor Roll of "America's Best Hospitals."
NewYork-Presbyterian Regional Hospital Network comprises hospitals and other facilities in the New York metropolitan region.
NewYork-Presbyterian Physician Services, which connects medical experts with patients in their communities.
NewYork-Presbyterian Community and Population Health, encompassing ambulatory care network sites and community healthcare initiatives, including NewYork Quality Care, the Accountable Care Organization jointly established by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia.

For more information, visit www.nyp.org and find us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Walgreens

Walgreens (walgreens.com), a provider of trusted care in communities since 1901, is included in the Retail Pharmacy USA Division of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ: WBA), the first global pharmacy-led, health and wellbeing enterprise. Approximately 8 million customers interact with Walgreens in stores and online each day, using the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice. Walgreens operates 8,100 drugstores with a presence in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, along with its omnichannel business, Walgreens.com. Approximately 400 Walgreens stores offer Healthcare Clinic or other provider retail clinic services.

Weill Cornell Medicine

Weill Cornell Medicine is committed to excellence in patient care, scientific discovery and the education of future physicians in New York City and around the world. The doctors and scientists of Weill Cornell Medicine — faculty from Weill Cornell Medical College, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and Weill Cornell Physician Organization—are engaged in world-class clinical care and cutting-edge research that connect patients to the latest treatment innovations and prevention strategies. Located in the heart of the Upper East Side's scientific corridor, Weill Cornell Medicine's powerful network of collaborators extends to its parent university Cornell University; to Qatar, where an international campus offers a U.S. medical degree; and to programs in Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Weill Cornell Medicine faculty provide comprehensive patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Queens. Weill Cornell Medicine is also affiliated with Houston Methodist. For more information, visit weill.cornell.edu.

Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Columbia University Irving Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, preclinical, and clinical research; medical and health sciences education; and patient care. The medical center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health professionals, dentists, and nurses at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Columbia University Medical Center is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York City and State and one of the largest faculty medical practices in the Northeast. For more information, visit cumc.columbia.edu or columbiadoctors.org.

SOURCE NewYork-Presbyterian