Walgreens again announces expansion into primary care
Starling Physicians in Connecticut is being added to the VillageMD roster of primary care practices.
Photo courtesy of Walgreens
Walgreens-owned VillageMD announced Friday the acquisition of Starling Physicians, a multispecialty medical group operating over 30 locations in Connecticut. In addition to primary care, Starling Physicians offers specialty services cardiology, ophthalmology, endocrinology, nephrology and senior care.
The financial terms were not disclosed.
WHY THIS MATTERS
The deal continues primary care acquisitions for VillageMD.
In January, VillageMD said it had acquired Family and Internal Medicine Associates, a large, independent primary care practice in central Kentucky and also Dallas Internal Medicine and Geriatric Specialists in Texas.
Also in January, VillageMD said it had completed the acquisition of Summit Health-CityMD, a primary, specialty and urgent care provider. The transaction, announced in November 2022, was valued at approximately $8.9 billion, with investments from Walgreens Boots Alliance and an affiliate of Evernorth, itself a subsidiary of Cigna Corporation.
"This is a natural extension of our growth in the Northeast, including our recent acquisition of Summit Health-CityMD," said VillageMD chairman and CEO Tim Barry.
Seeking Alpha contributor Bashar Issa argued in August that Walgreens is aggressively spending on primary care at the expense of its balance sheet, according to Seeking Alpha.
Walgreens Boots Alliance is scheduled to release its fiscal 2023 second quarter results on Tuesday, March 28.
THE LARGER TREND
Walgreens, which is among the nation's second-largest pharmacy chains, confirmed to Politico last week that it would not dispense abortion pills in several states where they remain legal, in addition to states where they are not. Nearly two dozen Republican state attorneys general wrote to Walgreens in February, threatening legal action if the company began distributing the drugs, which have become the nation's most popular method for ending a pregnancy.
A federal judge in Amarillo, Texas could ban the abortion drug mifepristone as illegal, a ruling that could enact a nationwide ban.
Walgreens released this statement: "We want to be very clear about what our position has always been: Walgreens plans to dispense Mifepristone in any jurisdiction where it is legally permissible to do so. Once we are certified by the FDA, we will dispense this medication consistent with federal and state laws. Providing legally approved medications to patients is what pharmacies do, and is rooted in our commitment to the communities in which we operate."
Twitter: @SusanJMorse
Email the writer: SMorse@himss.org
J. Tod Fetherling will offer more detail during his HIMSS23 session "Using AI to Predict Lung Cancer." It's scheduled for Thursday, April 20, at 1-2 p.m. CT at the South Building in room S103.
