Dive Brief:
- CVS Health announced plans to launch a Digital Innovation Lab in Boston, which will serve as the offices for the CVS Health Digital team.The new space will accommodate approximately 100 employees, and 90% of the employees for the lab will be new hires.
- The new lab is designed to be an open workspace that encourages "idea sharing and innovation to produce the next level of digital technology," Brian Tilzer, SVP and Chief Digital Officer for CVS Health told MobiHealthNews. "That includes everything from application development and creative digital design, to engineering, coding, usability and customer experience." Part of the lab will be dedicated as an open workspace "that encourages idea-sharing and innovation to produce the next level of digital technology."
- The bigger goal is creating technology that enhances the CVS retail experience, and equips customers and patients with tools to manage their medications and lead healthier lives.
Dive Insight:
CVS is ahead of the times when it comes to innovation and health IT, and its new lab, located in one of the most tech-entrenched hotspots in the country, puts another dash of zest into the movement toward retailer-led healthcare.
Over the last four years, CVS has made big strides in engaging patients in their healthcare through the use of technology. For example, CVS beat out other retailers in launching its first iPhone app in 2010, and in 2013 unveiled an iPad app that offers users a 3D virtual pharmacy to make shopping on a mobile device easier. And in July, CVS added a drug-interaction checker to its mobile app that alerts consumers to potential interactions between drugs they're taking.