WebMD And Walgreens Partner To Improve Health And Wellness In America

Companies Developing New Digital Health Improvement Programs that Include Incentives through Walgreens Balance Rewards for Healthy Choices

WebMD Health Corp. and Walgreen Co. are partnering to improve health and wellness in America by helping and incenting consumers to make healthier choices at home, work and on-the-go.

In the coming months, the companies will work together to provide WebMD’s virtual wellness-coaching programs directly to Walgreens customers. Walgreens will also incorporate WebMD content on a variety of health topics, co-branded by WebMD and Walgreens, into its digital experience and stores. Additionally, visitors to WebMD will be able to easily use Walgreens' prescription refill and clinic appointment scheduling options from within the WebMD site on their desktop or mobile device.

“WebMD is pleased to be working with Walgreens to make trusted health information and services available to consumers anywhere, anytime so they can make more informed choices and live a healthier life,” said David Schlanger, Chief Executive Officer, WebMD. “WebMD and Walgreens have a shared mission to improve health and wellness by empowering decision-making and motivating positive action. Working together, we will accelerate both companies’ efforts to realize this critical goal.”

“We’re excited to work with WebMD to provide our customers with new health resources,” said Alex Gourlay, President, Customer Experience and Daily Living, Walgreens. “Customers of both companies will benefit from WebMD’s digital engagement tools combined with assistance from Walgreens' community pharmacists and nurse practitioners to help them adopt healthy lifestyles. As an added benefit, these consumers also can take advantage of the incentives included in Walgreens' Balance Rewards for healthy choices program.”

Among the features and services Walgreens and WebMD will offer consumers in the coming months are:

• Enhanced Products and Services
  Walgreens will incorporate into its digital experience and stores select WebMD content in various topic areas, including: Allergy, Healthy Eating, Skincare, Fitness, Healthy Aging, Emotional Health, Heart Health, Cold & Flu, Sleep, and Oral Health. In addition, WebMD will make Walgreens' online prescription refill and transfer services and Healthcare Clinic appointment scheduling available across WebMD’s desktop and mobile offerings.
• Lifestyle & Condition Management Programs
  Walgreens will offer its customers access to WebMD’s virtual wellness-coaching programs that help individuals maintain and improve their health through positive lifestyle choices and healthy behavior change. Participants will be able to enroll in programs that help with smoking cessation, weight management, nutrition, exercise, stress management and emotional health, as well as in programs for managing conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
• Balance Rewards Integration
  The companies plan to incorporate Walgreens' Balance Rewards for healthy choices program into the WebMD virtual-wellness coaching programs offered through Walgreens to incent members to participate in health-related activities. Walgreens' Balance Rewards for healthy choices helps people adopt healthy behaviors by earning Walgreens Balance Rewards loyalty program points through participation in health-related programs and tracking progress toward a goal. The companies also plan to integrate Walgreens’ Balance Rewards for healthy choices program into WebMD’s Healthy Target mobile health improvement program to provide users the ability to earn Balance Rewards points for engaging in healthy behaviors. Available within WebMD’s flagship mobile app for iPhone, Healthy Target allows individuals looking to develop sustainable health-conscious habits to upload biometric device data from activity trackers, wireless scales and glucometers and to receive tailored, physician- reviewed, contextually relevant content and motivational tips.

Health, Wellness & Wearables @ Advertising Week
Schlanger and Gourlay will discuss the companies’ newly announced collaboration and talk about the changing health and wellness landscape today at Advertising Week. Their discussion, titled “The Health & Wellness Opportunity”, will take place during the Health, Wellness & Wearables session and will be moderated by Dan Childs, Managing Editor of ABC News’ Medical Unit.

About WebMD
WebMD Health Corp. is the leading provider of health information services, serving consumers, physicians, healthcare professionals, employers, and health plans through our public and private online portals, mobile platforms and health- focused publications. The WebMD Health Network includes WebMD Health, Medscape, MedicineNet, emedicineHealth, RxList, theheart.org, Medscape Education and other owned WebMD sites.

About Walgreens
As the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2014 sales of $76B, Walgreens' vision is to be America’s most loved pharmacy-led health, wellbeing and beauty enterprise. Each day, in communities across America, more than 8 million customers interact with Walgreens using the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice. Walgreens' scope of pharmacy services includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility and mail service, along with online and mobile services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers and the public sector. The company operates 8,207 drugstores with a presence in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Walgreens' digital business includes Walgreens.com, drugstore.com, Beauty.com, SkinStore.com and VisionDirect.com. Walgreens also manages more than 400 Healthcare Clinic and provider practice locations around the country. For more information, visit www.walgreens.com.