Oct. 5, 2009 (Business Wire) -- Carena, Inc. today announced a new partnership with drugstore.com in which Carena will offer its house call service, Carena Urgent Care, to drugstore.com’s employees and their eligible dependents in the Puget Sound area.
With Carena Urgent Care, board-certified physicians treat drugstore.com plan members’ urgent, but not life-threatening, medical concerns 24/7 in their homes. Plan members avoid non-emergent, costly trips to the emergency room (ER), and receive the personalized education they need to be better health care consumers.
“Consumer-driven health care is a top priority for drugstore.com. By enhancing our benefits offerings and by increasing consumer education, our employees are in a better position to make their own health care choices and drive down overall health care costs,” said Robert Hargadon, Vice President of Human Resources for drugstore.com. “With Carena Urgent Care, our employees have easy access to quality resources—when they need them most—while reducing out-of-pocket health care costs.”
“Carena and drugstore.com share a passion for innovation,” said Ralph C. Derrickson, President and CEO of Carena. “We both see the importance of engaging consumers in making sound and cost-effective health care decisions, whether it’s related to their medication or medical care needs.”
Carena Urgent Care is a convenient, lower-cost care option for weekends or after-hours, when a primary care physician is not available and the ER is a member’s only option. By providing the right care at the right time, Carena helps to control cost and change members’ care-seeking behavior.
About Carena, Inc.
Carena, Inc. engages consumers at a time of need with health care options and education to make the right care choices. The Seattle-based health care organization has reinvented the model for health care to help employers and plans reduce direct costs, improve health outcomes, and increase productivity. By delivering medical care and education wherever and whenever required, Carena meets the needs of both members and clients. For more information about Carena, visit the Web site at www.CarenaMD.com.
About drugstore.com, Inc.
drugstore.com (DSCM) is a leading online retailer of health, beauty, vision, and pharmacy products. The portfolio of brands include: drugstore.com,™ Beauty.com,™ and VisionDirect.com.™ All are accessible through www.drugstore.com and all provide a convenient, private, and informative shopping experience while offering a wide assortment of more than 45,000 products at competitive prices.
