Joining the ranks of technology heavyweights Amazon, Anthropic, Apple, Google, and OpenAI, as well as digital health innovators Noom, Oura, Virta Health and Welldoc, who have pledged to “Make Health Tech Great Again,” Albertsons, one of the largest grocery chains in the U.S., put its name on the list with these and other early adopter collaborators.
The Albertsons’ company blog published on 31 July discussed the background and rationale for this decision.
“Specifically, we pledge to explore how our Sincerely Health platform can connect to The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Aligned Networks for trusted, patient-centered and practical data exchange that will be accessible for all network types—health information networks and exchanges, Electronic Health Records (EHR), and tech platforms,” Albertsons’ blog explains.
The Sincerely Health platform was launched in February 2023, with the goal of bringing health care providers, health plans, and consumer-facing technology developers together to benefit consumers engaged in their personal health and well-being, and the communities that Albertsons serves.
Here’s a recent example of how this platform enables a consumer using a health-tracking device (say, a smartwatch or mobile app) to automatically earn loyalty points and hard-dollar discount coupons while engaging in physical activity. Albertsons’ family of grocery stores has also focused on addressing diabetes and obesity, which you can read more about here.
“Our Sincerely Health platform’s diabetes and obesity tools will use participating customers’ history to provide them with more tailored guidance, offering direct assistance when appropriate and directing them to a healthcare professional when needed,” Albertsons’ website noted. “Our goal is to empower consumers to share and access their personal health information to make more informed healthcare decisions.”
In addition to addressing diabetes and obesity management, 60 companies signed on to the Make Health Tech Great Again program to address the following health-tech priorities:
- Data networks
- Electronic health records (EHRs)
- Health systems ad providers
- Patient facing apps – conversational AI assistants
- Patient facing apps – Diabetes and obesity
- Patient facing apps – Kill the Clipboard
- Payers.
Here is a list of the companies, noted by CMS as “early adopters,” that signed on to the CMS Health Tech Ecosystem initiative. I counted 61, from “A” (Aetna/CVS Health and Albertsons) to “Z” (Zocdoc and Zus Health).
Health Populi’s Hot Points: So why does one of America’s largest food retailers join the ranks of Amazon, Aetna + CVS Health, Cleveland Clinic, Epic, and UnitedHealth Group?
If you know me and this website, the expanding and ever-morphing “retail health” landscape is a core focus. That phrase, “retail health,” is something I’ve worked on and with for many years the way I had worked on “consumers” as a key noun in U.S. health care for the entirety of my career.
“Retail health” used to be the purview of “the retail pharmacy” (think: CVS, Rite-Aid, Walgreen, Big Box store pharmacies, and the surviving brave independent pharmacy storefronts whom their consumers love and appreciate.
Oh, and let’s remember grocery store pharmacies.
To that point, you see in the second graphic from Albertsons Sincerely Health platform the screenshot for “pharmacy.” Indeed, this is a big business for grocery chains who grew stronger muscles during the pandemic era as shoppers flocked to front-line grocers (essential businesses during lock-down and beyond), growing to trust these pandemic-pantry suppliers along with their services for medicines, over-the-counter drugs and treatments, and for millions of households, vaccinations.
But wait — grocery stores also earned trust during those months and years, many maintaining brand-store trust equity as health destinations. Consumers have grown to learn about food-as-medicine and the role of food choices on mood, sleep, chronic condition management, and energy and resilience.
Even with higher food prices (with inflation abating then up for some categories and in wild-card territory vis-a-vis uncertain tariff impacts in the coming week/months), the grocery store remains a go-to destination for families seeking value, empowerment, an a safe and trusted community touchpoint beyond the medical center or doctor’s office.
Albertsons has placed a bet (and made a serious investment) in the Sincerely Health platform, which is meant to play well in the digital health data sandbox with the likes of health insurers, community health systems, and consumer-facing digital health applications and monitoring devices.
Consider the reach of Albertsons store brands — in 35 states, with regional trust equity and ability to behave and network locally and regionally. Albertsons stores welcome shoppers using SNAP benefits and EBT cards. Albertsons also collaborates with Instacart on delivery groceries — including fulfilling orders from folks enrolled in SNAP benefits across the U.S.
The potential irony here is the threat to U.S. consumers’ SNAP benefits which feed families earning lower-incomes. Food and nutrition are, of course, a key pillar determinant of health. So “Making Health Tech Great Again” without some food to add to a digital grocery basket, doesn’t do much for Making Health.
Obviously, we’re watching this converging space very closely.
