CVS Health Solution Aims to Help Employers, Universities Reopen Safely
CVS Health is launching a COVID-19 testing solution for employers and universities, designed to help return employees to worksites and students, faculty and staff to campuses.
The Return Ready solution is customizable, according to CVS Health officials, with different options for on-site testing and/or drive-thru testing at CVS Pharmacy locations, allowing organizations to design a testing strategy to meet their unique needs. “Return Ready builds on CVS Health's commitment to helping the country on its path forward by making COVID-19 testing available to consumers, the business community, universities and vulnerable populations impacted by the virus,” officials stated.
At the core of the end-to-end solution is a customized COVID-19 testing strategy guided by clinical consultation that allows organizations to choose who, how, where, and when to test employees or students, CVS executives contend. The solution also includes:
- Clinician-informed protocols and guidance for symptom checking and temperature screenings
- On-site licensed professionals for COVID-19 testing and support
- Turnkey employee and student communications toolkit
- Digital tools for test scheduling and sharing of results
- Integrated reporting and analytics across testing locations
- On-site immunization clinic with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-recommended vaccination services, such as the seasonal flu vaccine
- Access to add-on solutions such as thermal scanners, digital symptom monitoring and contact tracing technology
The testing technology options include point-of-care testing with results in a few minutes, or third-party lab processed testing with results in a few days. The organization can also choose to offer testing on-site and in an environment set up by CVS Health or in the local community at one of the CVS Pharmacy drive-thru testing locations which are anticipated to reach 1,400 sites by the end of the week, officials noted.
For example, they pointed out, some organizations with high-density populations working in close proximity that need rapid results may choose on-site, point-of-care testing overseen by licensed CVS Health professionals to receive immediate alerts of positive results for contact tracing. Others may prefer lab-processed tests, with results in a few days, conducted either on-site or at a nearby CVS Pharmacy testing location. Some might choose a combination of both testing options.
Return Ready also includes an analytics dashboard for ongoing oversight and trends across worksite locations, along with state and federal reporting of test results, as required, CVS leaders said.
"Organizations can rely on our customizable return to worksite and campus solution, which will evolve and adapt to include the latest COVID-19 testing technology and clinical protocols to meet their specific population health management needs," said Troyen Brennan, M.D., chief medical officer and executive vice president, CVS Health. "Return Ready is one more way that we're increasing access to COVID-19 testing options whether in the local community at CVS Pharmacy locations or where people work and study."
