Big Questions Answered

'We have a great boat' in 'choppy waters'

Steve Nelson, President, Aetna, explains how they’re steadying the ride for members and why affordability is about more than one fix. • Aetna is empowering its members with clearer choices, better tools and improved navigation to help lower the total cost of care, Steve says. • To deliver health care that feels more personalized, intuitive and easy to navigate, Aetna is borrowing from the best consumer experiences, including Spotify, Delta, Peloton and even Diet Coke. • “The future is very bright. I'm very excited,” Steve says. “I've seen more progress in the last 18 months than I've seen in the last decade of my career.”

'Rebuilding health care as it should be'

Care teams at Oak Street Health take a proactive and personalized approach to help older adults lead healthier, more fulfilling lives, says Dr. Creagh Milford, SVP and President, Oak Street Health.   • Oak Street Health has 230 centers across 27 states, with most located in “primary care deserts” — geographic areas with a shortage of health care professionals relative to the population, Dr. Milford says.  • By addressing a patient’s social determinants of health — non-medical factors that influence health outcomes, such as food security, housing and social isolation — Oak Street Health helps them better manage their chronic conditions and adhere to treatment plans, leading to their better health. • “Oak Street was built long ago on this mission of rebuilding health care as it should be,” Dr. Milford says. “I think that we've demonstrated that this is the right model for these types of patients in these communities.”

Powering healthier lives with AI

We’re using AI across physical and digital channels to help consumers get the care they need "more quickly, more effectively, more proactively," says Josh Weiner, SVP, Consumer Engagement and Analytics, Digital, Data, Analytics and Technology, CVS Health. • We use AI to summarize data like medical records and call center interactions to help consumers understand their benefits, navigate support calls and stay informed with personalized outreach, Josh says. • Josh emphasizes that AI also improves the colleague experience by automating repetitive tasks and allowing them to focus on what they do best: caring for members, patients and customers. • "When we help consumers, we improve company performance,” Josh says. “There's a well-established relationship between consumer satisfaction, Net Promoter Score and growth."

Our advocates on Capitol Hill and beyond

The Government Affairs team, led by Melissa Schulman, SVP, has a busy year ahead as it works to ensure policymakers understand our vision for health care.  • The Government Affairs team works with elected officials to show what we’re doing to lower health care costs, improve health outcomes and simplify the patient experience, she says. • We recently launched a program to give legislators tours of distribution centers, mail order facilities and CVS Pharmacy stores to showcase the many ways the company supports their communities.  • "We really want policymakers to see and understand that we're not just this big company, we are the CVS in their neighborhood that’s staffed by their constituents," Melissa says.

Redefining health care in America

After just six months on the job, Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips, EVP, Chief Medical Officer, is convinced CVS Health can make a genuine difference in the health care ecosystem. • The company has the assets it needs — an insurance provider, a pharmacy benefit manager, health care providers and pharmacies — to restore trust in health care, Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips says. • Innovation is change at scale, like when the company enables pharmacists with AI to enhance patient safety or adds primary care services to MinuteClinic locations to address unmet preventive health care needs, she says. • “We're actually going to deliver on the promise of being the trusted organization that succeeds in simplifying health care,” Dr. Compton-Phillips says.