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Abstract
Walgreen's, the nation's largest pharmacy chain, hired the 56-year-old Harry Leider, MD, MBA, FACPE, as chief medical officer last year to oversee an effort to complete the transition of Walgreens from a pharmacy company into a health care and wellness system. The idea is to fill the huge gap in health care coverage between the physician and the hospital, the area between a patient's regular doctor visits and illness severe enough to require hospitalization. Leider's work will play out in an ongoing battle between major pharmacy chains, including CVS and Rite-Aid, to fill this need in health care. Leider believes Walgreens, with more than 8,100 pharmacies, is at the forefront and in a good position to make wellness and quality health care for many people, especially those with chronic illnesses, more accessible and less expensive.