Thank you to our event sponsors: CVS Health; MedStar Health; National Retail Federation; Sibley Memorial Hospital; US News & World Report
Following the recent acquisition of Aetna Insurance, Larry Merlo, President and CEO of CVS Health, discussed how his company plans to bring necessary and disruptive innovation to the health care system through its 9,800 stores across the US, Puerto Rico, and Brazil. By simplifying, localizing, and improving overall health, Merlo said that CVS Health will be uniquely positioned to help personalize health care to lower cost and increase access. When asked by David Rubenstein how individuals will benefit from the Aetna acquisition, Merlo stated that CVS will be able to use CVS assets in combination with the tremendous amount of information provided by the health insurer. “We can deliver that intervention through one of the ways that we engage or talk to our customers... The role of the pharmacist [and] the nurse practitioner I believe is going to expand in this new model,” he said. Merlo also explained his decision to eliminate all tobacco sales from CVS stores in 2014. “It was going to be a barrier to the future growth of the company and the strategy that we were pursuing… It opened new doors,” Merlo noted, saying he still believes it was the right decision to make four years ago.
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