Humana's CEO said the health insurer intends to build off its partnerships with retailers like Walgreens and Walmart, according to Forbes contributor Bruce Japsen.
Here are four things to know:
1. Humana is closely watching a pilot it debuted with Walgreens in June. Under the partnership, wholly owned Humana subsidiary Partners in Primary Care opened and began operating 2,500-square-foot clinics in two Walgreens stores in Kansas City, Mo. The clinics, which provide primary care and pharmacy services, are in addition to four clinics Partners in Primary Care opened in Kansas City in 2017.
2. Humana CEO Bruce Broussard told analysts during the insurer's third-quarter earnings call Nov. 7 the "first thing that we've seen is that the convenience of the store is highly appreciative. We've seen that the traffic that goes into these particular clinics is more [and] has increased as a result of the location and just the branding of it."
3. Mr. Broussard said Humana and Walgreens will evaluate results from the pilot before expanding it nationally. He added, "We do see Humana being more discussed as both from a health plan point of view, but also from just a primary care clinic point of view."
4. Executives indicated Humana would also work with other retailers like Walmart. "I think we have a great relationship with both Walmart and Walgreens and we'll continue to build on that relationship," Mr. Broussard said. While no developments have risen since The Wall Street Journal reported Walmart was in preliminary talks with Humana about developing a closer partnership or pursuing an acquisition, Humana executives have said they continue to view Walmart as an opportunity.