Reinventing care for a generation

Sree Chaguturu, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for CVS Health, says serving Americans over 65 will call for industry-wide innovation — and a sensitivity to how they want to receive their care.

Life after age 65 represents a new chapter for many. And for the past few decades, Americans have been reinventing this phase of life. They are more active and engaged in their health than any previous generation, and medical advances have helped them live longer. As a result, the country is facing a milestone demographic moment, in which one in five people will be of retirement age by 2030.¹ That, in itself, is a testament to modern health care.

An aging population calls for the health care system to perform at its very best. Despite their relative health, three out of five² people over 65 are managing two or more chronic conditions. They are more likely to spend time at hospitals and have more needs at the pharmacy counter. To serve older Americans means rethinking the tools we already have and innovating where new needs arise.

The Health Trends Report for spring 2023 examines how we can best serve people over 65:

• What do the numbers tell us about this generation?
• What changes and new priorities will best serve this group?
• How can we support the mental health of older Americans?
• What role will pharmacy and retail care play in the industry’s transformation?

We have been preparing for this moment and, with the touchpoints we have, are uniquely positioned to support older adults. By building on a foundation of trust — the non-negotiable first step in any patient care — we can partner with them on their wellness journeys in a way that is compassionate, convenient and effective.

This transformation in health care will take many shapes. MinuteClinic^®, for instance, has been undergoing a steady transition to offer age-friendly care. We use an evidence-based framework that reviews and assesses current medications, mobility, mentation (mental health) and what matters ("the 4Ms") to those over 65 in terms of health goals and a treatment plan. At thousands of locations, when they come in for any health issue, they will be screened for the “4Ms.”

Factors outside the clinic walls may be even more important to address. Social determinants of health are at the center of a national conversation and a primary concern for all practitioners. Our Health Zones project in Atlanta, for instance, helps seniors get access to transportation and medically-tailored meals.³ Since 1997, CVS Health^® and Aetna^®, a CVS Health company, have invested $1.2 billion in another determinant, affordable housing, in part to help older Americans stabilize their home lives and mitigate the financial strain that can worsen health issues.

We will continue to find new ways to serve older Americans. Where they live in long-term care and assisted living facilities, we will find ways to make them safer, as we did when we delivered COVID-19 doses in long-term care facilities as part of a unique public health partnership. We will serve them at pharmacy counters in their neighborhoods and through new forms of virtual care, and we will find ways to help them age in place, receiving more care in their home environments.

With integrity and heart, we continue to be a partner to people over 65 and provide the latest in health care that meets their needs, while helping the country move forward to embrace this unique demographic moment.