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Health Trends
2020

INTRO
Kidney Care
Self Care
Digital
Community
Connection
Cost
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Change is a constant in health care, but the past years have seen those changes come at a clip. Smart technology has opened the floodgates of medical data and its possibilities for more personalized care. Health care leaders have also met a powerful ally in the empowered consumer, more willing than ever to take charge of their own health and wellness, and at the same time, demanding to be better informed about how they can achieve the best results.

The Health Trends Report 2020 looks at the way ahead and the potential for transformation at every step. Here are six developments we believe are worth watching and the ways that action today can help people and communities across the United States on their path to better health.

READ MORE READ LESS
Trend 1
A Coming Revolution in Kidney Care
Early detection and treatment would mean better outcomes and lower costs.

The current approach to kidney treatment is ripe for reinvention. As many as one in seven Americans suffer from chronic kidney disease, and caring for them uses one in five Medicare dollars. With a growing caseload of diabetes — a precursor to kidney injury — kidney health will demand even greater attention in the years ahead.

One way forward will be to innovate in prevention and early detection. Only a minority of people with damaged kidneys know about their condition. New efforts in predictive analytics may identify people at high risk of kidney disease and those at risk of getting worse. Evidence shows that catching the disease earlier can lead to better management, fewer complications and lower costs.

Making that kind of difference calls for a bird’s eye view of the patient’s health. CVS Kidney Care launched in 2018 to bring clinical and quality of life improvements to patients with kidney disease. It focuses on identification of chronic kidney disease, targeted engagement and ongoing education to help slow disease progression, facilitate more kidney transplants and bring innovations in home dialysis to patients who can benefit from it.

READ MORE READ LESS
Kidney Disease Awareness
Despite the high prevalence of chronic kidney disease— about 15% of adults in the United States are affected —awareness of having the disease is low compared with other chronic conditions.
mildly reduced
4%
Aware
96%
Not Aware
The goal is to target the 96% unaware.
severely reduced
52%
Aware
48%
Not Aware
advanced CKD
57%
Aware
43%
Not Aware

Related Content

Trend 2
More Scrutiny in the Self-Care Market
Interest in wellness products is heating up. So is the consumer need for clarity about what these products actually contain.

Americans are taking control of their own health, spending more than ever on fitness, personal care and healthy eating. Part of that trend includes a wider use of dietary supplements, now part of a daily routine for about three-quarters of U.S. consumers. But consumers have concerns about these products, which haven’t always contained everything that is listed on the label.

Retailers can help. In 2019, CVS Pharmacy rolled out its Tested to Be Trusted program, a first-in-the-industry initiative requiring that supplements sold by the company — some 1,400 products — undergo third-party testing for a wide range of metrics.

This program is the latest proof that health care retailers can play a critical role in informing the consumer. Tested to Be Trusted echoes other programs from CVS Health, including the decision to discontinue sunblock products with SPF less than 15 and a move to reformulate 600 store-brand products to remove chemicals such as parabens, phthalates and formaldehyde donors.

READ MORE READ LESS
heart logo
To read the full report, click here:
CVS Health Trends 2020

Tested for What

The CVS Tested to be Trusted program looks for a range of quality measures, adulterants and contaminants.
Chemicals
Chemical testing is 
conducted to verify the content 
of claimed ingredients.
Pesticide
Supplements containing herbal ingredients are screened for pesticides.
Microbes
Tests screen for product safety and compliance against harmful levels of pathogens, such as Campylobacter, Salmonella, 
E. coli and Listeria.
Caffeine
Caffeine is an ingredient of risk that can be in a number of products, including pre-workout, energy and weight loss products.
Protein
Protein is commonly tested by verifying nitrogen levels.
DNA
Using next-generation DNA sequencing, products with herbal ingredients are tested to verify the presence of the species claimed to be in the product.
Heavy Metals
Heavy metals testing looks for arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead and mercury.
Banned Substances
Certain supplement categories or ingredients are at a higher risk of banned substances, including stimulants, steroids, narcotics, masking agents and other items.
PDE5 Inhibitors
PDE5 inhibitors are the active drugs found in Viagra, Cialis and Levitra. Male enhancement products are often adulterated with these ingredients.
PCB/Dioxins
These contaminants are commonly found in products containing fish.
Stimulants
Like caffeine, some product categories, including weight loss products, have a high risk of being spiked with illegal stimulants.
Chemicals
Chemical testing is 
conducted to verify the content 
of claimed ingredients.
Pesticide
Supplements containing herbal ingredients are screened for pesticides.
Microbes
Tests screen for product safety and compliance against harmful levels of pathogens, such as Campylobacter, Salmonella, 
E. coli and Listeria.
Caffeine
Caffeine is an ingredient of risk that can be in a number of products, including pre-workout, energy and weight loss products.
Protein
Protein is commonly tested by verifying nitrogen levels.
DNA
Using next-generation DNA sequencing, products with herbal ingredients are tested to verify the presence of the species claimed to be in the product.
Heavy Metals
Heavy metals testing looks for arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead and mercury.
Banned Substances
Certain supplement categories or ingredients are at a higher risk of banned substances, including stimulants, steroids, narcotics, masking agents and other items.
PDE5 Inhibitors
PDE5 inhibitors are the active drugs found in Viagra, Cialis and Levitra. Male enhancement products are often adulterated with these ingredients.
PCB/Dioxins
These contaminants are commonly found in products containing fish.
Stimulants
Like caffeine, some product categories, including weight loss products, have a high risk of being spiked with illegal stimulants.

Related Content

Photo of CVS Health sleep aids

From Sick-Care to Self-Care

Trend 3
The Digital Revolution Digs In
Smart devices and machine learning will transform the delivery of health care. But data stewardship must take center stage.

Data is the resource powering the next decade of innovation. But while most industries have already put their customers’ information to work, health care has often lagged a step behind. Part of the obstacle has been technical: medical data exists in silos and in systems that don’t always speak the same language.

But where data points are beginning to come together, the future is taking off. Algorithms can help pinpoint the best time to remind patients to take a medication, giving a boost to adherence. They can help navigate patients through follow-up and insurance issues. And a new generation of wearable medical devices — expected to double in use by 2022 — deliver a stream of data points that promise to transform care.

“No one company will invent all of the breakthrough technologies,” says Firdaus Bhathena, Chief Digital Officer at CVS Health. “Part of our role … will be to stitch the information from all of these sources into experiences that are truly meaningful.”

READ MORE READ LESS
How Much Data?
48%
growth in medical data each year
An estimated
2,314
exabytes
(1 exabyte = 1 billion gigabytes)
of health care data will be produced in 2020

Related Content

Using data to drive value to our members

Trend 4
Rethinking the Outposts of Community Care
Residents of underserved communities can face a lifetime of poor health outcomes. Pharmacies can help bridge the gap.

Nearly 40 million people in the United States have trouble putting food on the table or a roof over their heads. In that day-to-day struggle, health care can become an afterthought. Poorer Americans are more likely to go without preventive measures or wait until an illness gets serious before seeking help, which is one reason that the gap in life expectancy between rich and poor is growing.

Critically, many of the underserved live in parts of the country with fewer hospitals and primary care physicians, so preventative care needs to find a way to come to them. One promising idea is to deliver more services at retail outposts, including pharmacies and retail clinics.

One example is Project Health from CVS Health, an annual campaign that offers free screenings in underserved communities. The events are held in some CVS Pharmacy locations in the United States and Puerto Rico, and clinicians are on hand to measure blood pressure, body mass index, glucose and total cholesterol. About one-third of those who attend first become aware of a health concern or condition through the screenings.

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close-hot-spot

2019 Project Health Landscape

In 2019, CVS held wellness campaigns in 17 markets at select CVS Pharmacy locations from January 31 through December 22.
Sacramento, CA San Francisco, CA Fresno, CA Los Angeles, CA San Diego, CA
240K
biometric screening participants
Chicago, IL
202K
biometric screenings performed
Detroit, MI
483
events since 2010
Philadelphia, PA
1,950
smoking cessation
counseling sessions
Washington, DC
700
events since 2010
New York, NY
$3.8MM
worth of free medical
services provided
Atlanta, GA
213K
biometric screenings performed
Miami, FL
131K
biometric screening participants
Puerto Rico
$4.9MM
worth of free medical
services provided
Boston, MA
9K
biometric screenings performed
Providence, RI
4K
biometric screenings performed
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
190K
attendees since 2007
Houston, TX
$13MM
worth of free medical
services provided
Sacramento, CA
San Francisco, CA
Fresno, CA
Los Angeles, CA
San Diego, CA
240K
biometric screenings participants
New York, NY
$3.8MM
worth of free medical services provided
Philadelphia, PA
1,950
smoking cessation counseling sessions
Atlanta, GA
213K
biometric screenings performed
Boston, MA
9K
biometric screenings performed
Chicago, IL
202K
biometric screenings performed
Detroit, MI
483
events since 2010
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
190K
attendees since 2007
Houston, TX
$13MM
worth of free medical services provided
Miami, FL
131K
biometric screening participants
Providence, RI
4K
biometric screenings performed
Washington, DC
700
events since 2010
Puerto Rico
$4.9MM
worth of free medical services provided

Related Content

A customer receiving a free health screening.

Free Screenings, Helpful Advice and a Visit from Pro Athletes at Project Health

Dad helping child on bike inside heart logo.

A $100M Commitment to Improve Community Health

Trend 5
A Dose of Connection
What should the health care system do to counter an epidemic of loneliness?

One out of every three people over 45 years old feels lonely. Millennials are also reporting social isolation at high rates, according to the 2019 Path to Better Health Study from CVS Health. Smaller families and less tightly knit neighborhoods contribute to the growing problem, and the former U.S. Surgeon General called loneliness the country’s “most common pathology.”

Becoming socially isolated can hurt the body as well as the mind. It carries a high risk for depression, compromised immune systems, cardiovascular disease and hypertension. A lack of companionship can even rob years from someone’s life, causing early death at similar rates as obesity.

The problem needs to be solved community by community, but major players in health care can’t stand by while that happens. CVS has explored screening for loneliness at its MinuteClinic locations, and certain CVS HealthHUBs will make meeting rooms available for community events. Aetna has also developed a Social Isolation Index to help estimate each Medicare member’s risk of social isolation. “If we want to help people achieve their best health, we have to look at the whole person, not just their symptoms,” says Karen Lynch, President of the Aetna Business Unit and Executive Vice President of CVS Health. “That means understanding and addressing all dimensions of well-being, including mental health and social connectedness.”

READ MORE READ LESS
loneliness slider
One in five Americans feels lonely, and…
Loneliness Slide 1
55%
say it has hurt their health
loneliness slider
One in five Americans feels lonely, and…
Loneliness Slide 2
49%
say it has hurt their relationships
loneliness slider
One in five Americans feels lonely, and…
Loneliness Slide 3
33%
say it affects their job performance
loneliness slider
One in five Americans feels lonely, and…
Loneliness Slide 4
31%
say it leads to thoughts of self-harm
loneliness slider
One in five Americans feels lonely, and…
Loneliness Slide 5
21%
say they cope with alcohol or drugs
loneliness slider
One in five Americans feels lonely, and…
Loneliness Slide 6
10%
say they have no one to confide in

Related Content

Trend 6
Where Cost Transparency Works
More clarity in drug costs might help consumers manage tightening health care budgets, letting them make more informed decisions.

Drug pricing is one of the most discussed topics in health care — and for good reason. Price increases for both brand name and generic medications have far exceeded the rate of inflation. A recent national poll commissioned by CVS Health found that 79 percent of Americans are concerned about prescription drug costs and how they will affect their families’ budgets.

One potential solution for this complex problem has been to make prices more readily available to consumers. With more transparency around out-of-pocket prices, the public can make smarter choices about their treatments and providers, just as they would when shopping for groceries or an airline ticket.

Both the public and private sectors are looking to bring this kind of solution to life, especially if it means a patient can know their real costs when discussing a new medication with physicians. Unexpected costs contribute to an estimated one-third of prescriptions that are never filled, even though most people would ask for a lower-cost alternative instead of foregoing treatment if they had the option.

READ MORE READ LESS

How Clearer Costs Can Help

Conversations at point of care can help patients understand and plan for drug prices.
Cost Transparency Slide 1
24%
of Americans find it hard to afford prescriptions, and…

How Clearer Costs Can Help

Conversations at point of care can help patients understand and plan for drug prices.
Cost Transparency Slide 2
29%
of those skipped doses because of cost

How Clearer Costs Can Help

Conversations at point of care can help patients understand and plan for drug prices.
Cost Transparency Slide 3
41%
of Americans ask doctors about cheaper alternatives, and…

How Clearer Costs Can Help

Conversations at point of care can help patients understand and plan for drug prices.
Cost Transparency Slide 4
35%
of those with CVS Real Time Benefits got help moving to on-plan or lower-cost drugs.

Related Content

Achieving accreditations for high-quality care

The future of U.S. health care is no longer a topic limited to a few industry leaders. It is a national conversation — one that includes health care professionals, community members, industry leaders, and most important, the millions of people they serve. Consumers have become the leading voice in health care, driving each of these trends and innovations, eager to bring the industry in line with their needs. Their ideas of health care no longer stop at trips to the pharmacy or an annual visit to the doctor, but are shaped by hundreds of decisions, services and solutions every day to help them get and stay healthy. By listening to and understanding what consumers want, leaders can help bring about a continual process of providing care that is smarter, more efficient and far more effective.

About CVS Health

At CVS Health, we share a clear purpose: helping people on their path to better health. Through our health services, plans and community pharmacists, we’re pioneering a bold new approach to total health. Making quality care more affordable, accessible, simple and seamless, to not only help people get well, but help them stay well in body, mind and spirit.

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