Rite Aid partners with Penn State Hershey Health System

Penn State Hershey Health System has joined the Rite Aid Health Alliance, which provides support to individuals with chronic and poly-chronic health conditions.

Doctors can refer patients with conditions such as congestive heart failure, COPD, high cholesterol, and diabetes to the Alliance, which is based in specific Rite Aid locations.

At those locations, specially trained care coaches work with the physician and patient to improve the patient's overall health and self-management abilities. 

"Across Central Pennsylvania, Penn State Hershey has long been known as one of the preeminent healthcare systems in the country, and like Rite Aid, they share our commitment to providing access to affordable and high-quality health care," said John Standley, Rite Aid’s chairman and CEO. "We are especially pleased to be working with their physicians to bring Rite Aid Health Alliance to patients in the Hershey and greater Harrisburg area. Together, we will help our patients manage their conditions and improve their overall health and wellbeing."  

Services offered through the Alliance include medication compliance support, comprehensive medication reviews and reconciliation, and nutrition and weight management counseling.

"Partnering with Rite Aid's Health Alliance program is another way in which Penn State Hershey can ensure our patients receive quality care in the most appropriate, cost-effective setting," said Harold L. Paz, MD, MS, CEO of Penn State Hershey Medical Center and Health System. "This program serves as an innovative example of how an academic medical center can work with other community healthcare providers to help patients with chronic conditions access a full range of resources to help them manage their health."  

Other partners

Through the Rite Aid Health Alliance, Rite Aid and the Heritage Provider Network, one of the leading heathcare providers in California, will offer comprehensive care to patients with chronic conditions.

To support collaborative care between Rite Aid and physicians, physician orders will be transmitted electronically to Rite Aid’s care coaches and pharmacists, and reports of patient interactions at Rite Aid pharmacies will be shared with each patient’s physician. Rollout of the program at 30 Rite Aid pharmacies and eight Heritage affiliates in Southern California will be completed by the middle of this month.