Wal-Mart and CVS eye expanded roles in health care delivery

Marketplace reports that Wal-Mart is opening up clinics in a handful of states, while Kaiser Health News details a the dynamics of a partnership between CVS and MedStar Health. Also, in Connecticut, a group of independent hospitals joins forces to gain the benefits of scale.

Marketplace: At Some Wal-Marts, Health Care In Your Shopping Cart
Maybe you've picked up a prescription medication or been fitted for a pair of eyeglasses at Wal-Mart. But would you trust Wal-Mart with your larger medical care? The retailer is trying to figure that out, opening up clinics in a handful of stores in South Carolina, Georgia and Texas (McCammon, 9/23).

Kaiser Health News: Win-Win? CVS Joining Forces With Hospitals, Doctors
Neglected to pick up your prescription? Now, there's a good chance your doctor will know and do something about it, thanks to a slew of new partnerships between CVS Health and various health systems. One of the most recent, which is slated to begin by early next year, will integrate the electronic medical records from MedStar Health's 10 hospitals and 4,000 doctors – located in Washington, D.C. and Maryland -- with CVS pharmacies as well as the chain's 900 Minute Clinics located across the country (Luthra, 9/24).

Connecticut Mirror: As Competitors Join Big Chains, Independent Hospitals Join Forces
With several Connecticut hospitals poised to join larger chains, a group of five health care systems announced plans Tuesday to take another tack -- forming an alliance aimed at giving them the benefits of scale while remaining independent. The "Value Care Alliance" is intended to give the systems better purchasing power, share best practices and adapt to a changing health care environment that favors larger companies. It won't change the ownership of the hospitals and won't require state approval, said Ken Roberts, a spokesman for Griffin Hospital in Derby, one of the alliance members (Levin Becker, 9/23).