Content about Kermit Crawford

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Advocare Walgreens Well Network, Diagnostic Clinic Walgreens Well Network and Scott & White Walgreens Well Network have been selected as three of 106 new Accountable Care Organizations in Medicare, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Thursday.

 DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens pharmacists are on the frontlines of a new transition of care program, WellTransitions, which brings hospitals and health systems together with Walgreens in a coordinated care model designed to reduce readmission rates and overall healthcare costs while improving patient health outcomes and medication adherence, Walgreens announced Tuesday. The WellTransitions program is being rolled out as thousands of hospitals nationwide face possible penalties from Medicare for patient readmission rates that are too high, under a new law that took effect Oct.

A vast army of some 70,000 Walgreens pharmacists, technicians, nurses and nurse practitioners, and other clinicians is poised to plug some of the gaps in the nation’s overstretched healthcare system with expanded services, greater access for patients and new solutions for providers and payers in desperate need of quality, cost-effective solutions.


DEERFIELD Ill. — Walgreens on Tuesday infused greater value into its Prescription Savings Club program, which now offers discounts on more than 8,000 brand-name and generic prescriptions, thanks to the inclusion of more than 700 "value-priced" generics, which retail as low as $12 for a 90-day supply.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens and Take Care Clinics once again are offering free blood-pressure testing every day throughout the month in honor of National High Blood Pressure Education Month.

The announcement follows Walgreens' free blood-pressure testing in February as part of the Million Hearts Initiative, a national public and private sector collaboration aimed at preventing 1 million heart attacks and strokes over the next five years.

Apparently, there’s life after Express Scripts.

Walgreens took its lumps in January after failing to mend its very public rift with pharmacy benefit management giant Express Scripts, reporting a 2.3% drop in sales for the month. But considering that the PBM’s millions of customers represented $5.3 billion in prescription sales for the 7,818-store drug chain in fiscal 2011, it could have been worse.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Monday evening named 25-year veteran Robyn Peters group VP managed market sales, where she will lead all sales and account management activities in the company’s employer, health systems, health plans, government and small and individual payer segments, along with client retention, expansion programs and sales operations for Walgreens. Peters will report to Jeff Berkowitz, Walgreens SVP pharmaceutical development and market access.

NEW YORK — EmblemHealth and Walgreens have reached an agreement that allows EmblemHealth and Connecticare members to continue to have access to the Walgreens pharmacy network in 2012, the companies announced Thursday.

EmblemHealth, through its companies Group Health Incorporated and HIP Health Plan of New York, provides healthcare coverage and administrative services to approximately 2.9 million people, the company said. 

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Tuesday named Jeffrey Kang and Mike Ellis to its pharmacy, health and wellness division.

Kang will join Walgreens Oct. 31 as SVP health and wellness services and solutions, reporting to both president and CEO Greg Wasson and president of pharmacy, health and wellness Kermit Crawford.

In addition, Mike Ellis has joined Walgreens as VP specialty pharmacy and infusion, reporting to Crawford.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — In his July 20 letter to benefit consultants, Walgreens president of pharmacy, health and wellness Kermit Crawford made a direct appeal to plan sponsors to either “select a PBM that includes Walgreens” or consider “direct arrangements with plans currently using Express Scripts, to the extent permitted by their contracts.” The letter also included an attached “template agreement that can be used to implement such direct arrangements where permitted,” for consideration.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens and Northwestern Memorial Physicians Group of Chicago on Wednesday announced a new coordinated healthcare program in which Walgreens will share the results of appropriately timed pharmacist clinical interventions with primary care physicians of selected patients.