WebMD Health and Walgreens partner on health-and-wellness offering
Pictured: Alex Gourlay (left) and David Schlanger
NEW YORK — WebMD Health and Walgreens on Thursday partnered on an initiative to help improve health and wellness in America by helping and incenting consumers to make healthier choices at home, work and on-the-go.
In the coming months, the companies will work together to provide WebMD’s virtual wellness-coaching programs directly to Walgreens customers. Walgreens will also incorporate WebMD content on a variety of health topics, co-branded by WebMD and Walgreens, into its digital experience and stores. Additionally, visitors to WebMD will be able to use Walgreens' prescription refill and clinic appointment scheduling options from within the WebMD site on their desktop or mobile device.
“WebMD is pleased to be working with Walgreens to make trusted health information and services available to consumers anywhere, anytime so they can make more informed choices and live a healthier life,” stated David Schlanger, CEO WebMD. “WebMD and Walgreens have a shared mission to improve health and wellness by empowering decision-making and motivating positive action. Working together, we will accelerate both companies’ efforts to realize this critical goal.”
“We’re excited to work with WebMD to provide our customers with new health resources,” commented Alex Gourlay, president, customer experience and daily living, Walgreens. “Customers of both companies will benefit from WebMD’s digital engagement tools combined with assistance from Walgreens' community pharmacists and nurse practitioners to help them adopt healthy lifestyles. As an added benefit, these consumers also can take advantage of the incentives included in Walgreens' Balance Rewards for healthy choices program.”
Among the features and services Walgreens and WebMD will offer consumers in the coming months are:
Walgreens will incorporate into its digital experience and stores select WebMD content in various topic areas, including: allergy, healthy eating, skincare, fitness, healthy aging, emotional health, heart health, cold and flu, sleep and oral health. In addition, WebMD will make Walgreens' online prescription refill and transfer services and Healthcare Clinic appointment scheduling available across WebMD’s desktop and mobile offerings;
Walgreens will offer its customers access to WebMD’s virtual wellness-coaching programs that help individuals maintain and improve their health through positive lifestyle choices and healthy behavior change. Participants will be able to enroll in programs that help with smoking cessation, weight management, nutrition, exercise, stress management and emotional health, as well as in programs for managing conditions such as diabetes and heart disease; and
The companies plan to incorporate Walgreens' Balance Rewards for healthy choices program into the WebMD virtual-wellness coaching programs offered through Walgreens to incent members to participate in health-related activities. Walgreens' Balance Rewards for healthy choices helps people adopt healthy behaviors by earning Walgreens Balance Rewards loyalty program points through participation in health-related programs and tracking progress toward a goal.
The companies also plan to integrate Walgreens’ Balance Rewards for healthy choices program into WebMD’s Healthy Target mobile health improvement program to provide users the ability to earn Balance Rewards points for engaging in healthy behaviors. Available within WebMD’s mobile app for iPhone, Healthy Target allows individuals looking to develop sustainable health-conscious habits to upload biometric device data from activity trackers, wireless scales and glucometers and to receive tailored, physician-reviewed, contextually relevant content and motivational tips.