• Drug Store News, Monday, September 12, 2011 9:45 AM

Cheryl Pegus, who became Walgreens' chief medical officer in May last year, said the healthcare system is shifting toward more accessible and collaborative models and that both pharmacists and nurse practitioners are "well positioned to have a substantial impact in a post-reform environment."

Speaking at Forum 11, the annual meeting of the Care Continuum Alliance in San Francisco, she said medication nonadherence, unnecessary hospital readmissions, aging and chronic illness, and the growing primary care physician shortage are key stresses on the healthcare system in the U.S.

Pegus talked about recent collaboration agreements that Walgreens has formed with health systems like Northwestern Memorial Physicians Group in Illinois, Ochsner Health System in Louisiana, Memorial Health in Florida and LSU health sciences center and healthcare network in Louisiana. Walgreens joined the Care Continuum Alliance in March, and Pegus is on the organization's board.

Read the whole story at Drug Store News »