Latest / Becker’s Healthcare Digital Health + Health IT / Walgreens pulls VillageMD clinics out of Indiana, Kaiser funds 5 AI projects + more

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Walgreens pulls VillageMD clinics out of Indiana, Kaiser funds 5 AI projects + more · Becker’s Healthcare Digital Health + Health IT

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  Here's your daily industry news briefing
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  for today, December 18th.
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  First, Walgreens Village MD will exit the Indiana market
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  and close a dozen clinics in the state in January, 2024,
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  which is in line with the majority
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  owner's cost reduction plans.
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  A spokesperson for the company told Becker's, quote,
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  after careful consideration
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  and analysis, we have made the decision
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  to exit the Indiana market.
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  We're committed to helping our teams during this transition
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  and we are working diligently to care for our patients.
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  During this transition. Village md, which is majority owned
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  by Walgreens Boost Alliance,
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  had opened new sites in Indiana Dub Village Medical in 2021.
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  The market exited in line with Walgreens plan
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  to cut at least $1 billion in costs announced in October,
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  which will involve moving Village MD out of a handful
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  of markets and the closure of
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  around 60 clinics in physical 2024.
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  As we exit these non-strategic markets,
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  our long-term focus will be achieve achieving density in
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  those regions with the greatest potential
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  to drive future profitability growth,
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  and where we can best serve patients
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  with our consolidated sets of assets.
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  And quote John Driscoll, executive VP and Bryce
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  and president of US Healthcare at Walgreens said about the
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  cost cutting efforts in the fall.
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  Village MD is in 26 markets with 680 locations
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  with many practices located next to Walgreens pharmacies.
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  It completed its $8.9 billion acquisition
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  of Physician Practice Group Summit Health in January, 2023,
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  aiming to create one
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  of the largest independent provider groups in the country.
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  Village MD's Market exit may come in multiple forms,
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  including sales and hybrid equity
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  arrangements, the company noted.
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  Second, the coordinating center
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  of the Augmented Intelligence and Medicine
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  and Healthcare Initiative
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  by Kaiser Permanente is funding five healthcare
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  organizations research Progre projects focused on using AI
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  and machine learning algorithms.
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  Recipients of the grants backed by funds from the Gordon
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  and Betty Moore Foundation are receiving up
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  to $750,000 according to a news release from Kaiser.
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  Here are some of the organizations receiving funding from
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  Kaiser Parkland Health,
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  the Smit Heart Institute at Senior Sinai Medical Center.
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  Emory University Central de
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  LA did La Cida de Sanrio
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  Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
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  Third, while Span Health is using a $1.5 million donation
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  to launch a new nursing innovation unit.
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  Philanthropist Jean and Ed Arnold donated the money
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  and the innovation unit will be named after
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  - Ms. Arnold.
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  The center will include professional development
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  opportunities, innovation and research opportunities
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  and clinical practice according
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  to a news release from WellSpan.
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