CVS Health pilots pharmacist-led chronic disease management program across retail stores

CVS Health launches a five-store pilot program in Michigan allowing retail pharmacists to manage chronic disease metrics, including measuring blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar. CVS Chief Medical Officer Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips highlights that expanding pharmacist responsibilities across their 9,000 locations could broaden patient access and reduce care costs. The effort aligns with wider clinical role expansions in hospitals, though implementation faces varying state pharmacy regulations and ongoing workforce shortages.

CVS Health pilots chronic disease management

• ▪Under the CVS Health pilot, pharmacists test customers' blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels to help consumers monitor chronic health conditions.
• ▪CVS Health initiated a pilot program in five Michigan retail stores to evaluate whether pharmacists can take an expanded role in managing chronic diseases.
• ▪Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips, chief medical officer of CVS Health, stated at the Reuters Total Health conference on October 23, 2026, that expanding pharmacist involvement could improve healthcare access and affordability.

Hospital clinical pharmacy deployment

• ▪The 2024 ASHP National Survey found nearly 72% of surveyed U.S. hospitals deploy pharmacists in outpatient clinics to manage chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, and 18.5% grant independent prescribing authority.
• ▪The 2024 ASHP survey revealed that over 75% of U.S. hospitals deploy pharmacists to inpatient care units, led by general medical-surgical and critical care departments.

Singapore retail pharmacy screening results

• ▪The PSS-Omron retail pharmacy initiative in Singapore identified two-thirds of screened residents with high blood pressure risk and referred five potential irregular heart rhythm cases for medical assessment.
• ▪The Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore and Omron established a hypertension program across 30 retail pharmacies that screened over 330 residents starting in June 2026.