Hy-Vee launches infusion clinic in Chicago

Hy-Vee is continuing to make infusion services part of its broad health-care offering with the opening of a new facility in Chicago.

The food and drug retailer’s second Hy-Vee Health infusion clinic went into operation in the city on Friday at 1 East Erie Street (Suite 640), marking its first such facility in metropolitan Chicago. The first Hy-Vee infusion center opened in early April in the company’s hometown of West Des Moines, Iowa.

Hy-Vee’s Chicago infusion clinic provides treatments for rheumatology, gastroenterology, pulmonary, neurology, dermatology, oncology and other chronic conditions and complex diseases, upon referral. Staffed by physicians and nurse practitioners, the independent clinic houses six semi-private infusion rooms, designed to give patients a comfortable setting to receive specialty medications. The Chicago facility accepts private health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid and operates Monday to Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m. to noon.

Plans call for several more Hy-Vee Health infusion clinics to open across the country later this year, Hy-Vee reported.

“We are proud to join the Chicago medical community as we bring affordable infusion treatments to area patients who are facing chronic, complex conditions,” Hy-Vee President Aaron Wiese said in a statement. “In addition to providing a comfortable and convenient experience, our ultimate mission is to improve the overall health outcomes of our patients in this area.”

In recent years, specialty medications have become the fastest-growing area in pharmacy care. Hy-Vee’s infusion clinics are part of the company’s specialty care operations, which include two specialty pharmacies, Amber Specialty Pharmacy and Hy-Vee Pharmacy Solutions. Acquired in 2014, Amber specializes in providing personalized care for patients with complex conditions and is licensed in 50 states and has 19 locations nationwide.

Hy-Vee has made health care a linchpin of its food and wellness offering and steadily expanded its lineup of services. In December 2021, Hy-Vee unveiled RedBox Rx, a new subsidiary that provides low-cost telehealth and online pharmacy services nationwide. Then in August 2021, the grocer introduced Hy-Vee Medicare Aisle, an agency offering Medicare coverage plans, and that July, the company named Dr. Daniel Fick to the newly created post of chief medical officer. In late 2020, Hy-Vee launched its own pharmacy benefits manager, Vivid Clear Rx.

Overall, Hy-Vee operates more than 275 in-store and freestanding retail pharmacies in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin, which serve up a full range of pharmacy care, vaccination and wellness services. In addition, Hy-Vee has more than 70 in-store retail health clinics and operates its own fleet of mobile health units.

In January 2022, Hy-Vee launched WholeLotta Good, a direct-to-home e-commerce site that sells thousands of dietitian-approved health and specialty products, such as food, vitamins, supplements, fitness equipment and household products. The site also features a blog written by Hy-Vee registered dietitians. More recently on the health resources front, Hy-Vee introduced “Hy-Vee Healthy You,” a wellness plan—designed by its dietitians—that provides access to a package of personalized nutrition counseling, preventive health screenings, and other services and content that promote well-being. A subscription costs $99 a month and is available to adults across the retailer’s eight-state trade area.