Walgreens is rolling out a nationwide program to integrate its brand into the iTriage mobile application as the company looks for new ways to streamline clinic appointments.

The pharmacy retailer is expanding a pilot program to 400 Walgreens healthcare clinic locations nationwide that lets consumers book appointments via the iTriage app. Previously, the pilot program was only available in Denver and Chicago.

"The feedback we received and adoption levels made it clear that patients value the functionality of the app and the convenience it provides," said Jim Cohn, spokesman at Walgreens, Deerfield, IL. "This was key in our decision to expand the offering to a nationwide program for our healthcare clinics," he said.

Mobile health
Walgreens has integrated its healthcare clinic services into the iTriage mobile app, which is available for iPhone, iPad and Android devices.

Consumers that download the iTriage app can locate a nearby Walgreens location.

From there, consumers pick a time for their appointment and can finalize the booking. Once an appointment has been set, consumers receive a confirmation message.

In addition to making an appointment, consumers can also use the app to access information about their symptoms and conditions and find treatment options.

The expansion of the Walgreens program highlights the gains that the healthcare industry has made with mobile.

As consumers continue to rely on mobile devices more for planning every detail of their day, offering mobile appointment bookings makes sense for Walgreens.

There is also a Web component to the booking system. Consumers can access the services via www.iTriageHealth.com and www.walgreens.com/clinic. 

Mobile refill
Pharmacy chains including Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid have been making a big push into mobile the past couple of years to not only make the prescription refill process easier, but also build up loyalty programs and incentives. 

Specifically, Walgreens has been active in the mobile space for this reason, particularly around apps.

In the past year, the pharmacy retailer has built up its loyalty program to include 72 million users, with the company?s mobile app playing a key role in how consumers sign up and access their loyalty benefits (see story). 

Additionally, Walgreens ran a campaign with MapMyFitness to target athletes with audio and mobile ads to build awareness about the program (see story). 

"People don't necessarily know when they can use a 'retail clinic' like Healthcare Clinic at select Walgreens,? said Dr. Wayne Guerra, chief medical officer and co-founder of iTriage, Denver.

?ITriage has an advanced multi-symptom checker that helps people think through what could be wrong and where they could go for care,? he said. ?When appropriate, a retail clinic will be included in the results for care options.?

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York