NEW YORK (360Dx) – Laboratory Corporation of America and Walgreens today announced the expansion of their LabCorp at Walgreens collaboration into Florida. The companies will open 10 new LabCorp patient service centers within Walgreens stores in April and May.
The new locations will include four serving the Gainesville market and two each serving Palm Beach County, Pasco Country, and the Orlando area. The new locations are in addition to five LabCorp-branded centers already serving the Denver area and one in Morrisville, North Carolina that opened in 2017.
The LabCorp at Walgreens locations offer specimen collection inside Walgreens stores near the pharmacy area, according to the companies. Services include collection of both blood and urine specimens for the broad range of testing performed at LabCorp's regional and specialty laboratories. The testing is typically ordered by a healthcare provider and some locations may also offer collection for workplace drug testing.
Appointments for all LabCorp at Walgreens locations can be made in advance through LabCorp's website, or through the LabCorp|Patient online portal. Patient check-in for lab testing is provided at or near the pharmacy and the new Florida sites will offer the LabCorp|Express tablet-based system for expedited check-in. Appointments are now available at the new Florida locations.
In a survey of 781 patients conducted at LabCorp at Walgreens locations between August 22, 2017 and December 31, 2017, 93 percent of respondents said they would recommend LabCorp at Walgreens to a friend, according to the companies.
"We've had an outstanding experience with the six LabCorp at Walgreens locations that opened last year. Patients and physicians have responded enthusiastically to having access to lab testing in a high-quality health care setting," David King, LabCorp's chairman and CEO said in a statement. "The success of those initial sites, and the overwhelmingly positive market response, caused us to make the decision to expand this initiative into Florida."
Walgreens officials said that the partnership fits the company's strategy of collaborating with best-in-class providers to complement core pharmacy expertise and bring affordable healthcare services to customers.
"The LabCorp at Walgreens centers are a strong complement to our core pharmacy services and expertise, and another way in which we are working with partners to bring health care closer to our patients in the community," said Nimesh Jhaveri, vice president, healthcare services, Walgreens, in a statement.