Publix, BayCare Open 1st Telehealth Centers
Publix Super Markets and BayCare Health System have teamed up to launch Walk-In Care Provided by BayCare at 26 Publix Pharmacy locations by the end of the year. The telehealth centers feature a private room where shoppers can receive non-urgent medical care from board-certified physicians via teleconferencing and medical diagnostic equipment.
The interactive, user-friendly kiosks enable patients to easily enter their symptoms and use such medical instruments as thermometers, otoscopes, blood pressure cuffs and high-definition cameras to assist doctors in making accurate diagnoses. Publix Pharmacy support staffers are also on hand to help patients, if necessary. The grocer has created an explanatory video showing consumers how to use the offering.
The inaugural center opened late last year at the Publix Shoppes of Lithia, in Valrico, Fla., while the second opened earlier this month at the Publix Supermarket at City Plaza, in Tampa, Fla. The remaining 24 centers slated to open will be within various Publix stores in the Tampa Bay area.
“Pharmacists are a part of many patients’ wellness plans, and our Publix pharmacists have been serving our communities through a variety of services like vaccinations, health screenings, free and discounted medications, and more,” noted Maria Brous, director of media and community relations at Lakeland, Fla.-based Publix. “This Walk-In Care clinic takes our partnership with physicians to a new level. Together, we’ll help keep our community feeling well.”
“We are excited to bring access to high-quality, compassionate care through this convenient and innovative technology,” said Glenn Waters, EVP and COO at Clearwater, Fla.-based BayCare, a not-for-profit health care system. “Our goal is to improve the health of our community by helping individuals access the right level of care in the right place. Our collaboration with Publix helps us do just that.”
The initiative is part a three-pronged collaboration between Publix and BayCare to help improve the health and wellness of the Tampa Bay area. The partners also recently opened four in-hospital Publix Pharmacies at BayCare hospitals in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties to provide patients with bedside prescription delivery upon hospital discharge, access to specialty medications, and refills at any Publix Pharmacy location. Further, Publix stores in Pinellas, Pasco, Hillsborough and Polk counties offer BayCare HealthHub self-service screening stations providing shoppers with free health information, including blood pressure, pulse, weight and body mass index.
Privately owned and operated by its more than 190,000 employees, Publix has 1,168 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.
