CVS wants to facilitate 65B healthcare interactions by 2030. Here's how

CVS Health has set a goal to facilitate 65 billion healthcare interactions over the next decade, the company said in its latest corporate social responsibility report.

The key strategies? Continuing to grow the reach of its HealthHUB concept stores, taking lessons learned from the pandemic to rethink care delivery and investing in social needs and community health, CVS said.

Over the course of 2020, CVS became the largest private provider of COVID-19 testing, administering 15 million tests at 4,800 drive-thru sites. The pandemic also drove the healthcare giant to launch E-Clinic, a new telehealth solution for its Minute Clinics, which conducted nearly 20,000 visits.

The company is hoping to harness that momentum to continue growing its retail health reach, according to the report.

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"CVS Health emerged from 2020 a stronger, more resilient company, better positioned to improve healthcare for the millions of people who depend on us," said CEO Karen Lynch and board Chairman David Dorman in the report. "The challenges of this year have shown us the critical importance of the community investments and partnerships we have built over the next decade."

Former CEO Larry Merlo said late last year that the expansion of testing under the pandemic and the launch of direct-to-employer platforms to manage COVID-19 cases led to growth in the company's customer base.

As of November, CVS has administered 6 million tests, and 70% of those seeking them were not previously customers, Merlo said.

And that the company was aiming to push significantly into the retail health space—especially following its acquisition of Aetna—predates the pandemic, with it unveiling its HealthHUB concept stores in 2019 and announcing plans to rapidly scale up how many stores it transformed to this new model.

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In 2020, CVS opened 650 HealthHUB locations, and it plans to have 1,500 locations open by the end of this year. The stores dedicate an additional 20% of their space to health services.

In the report, CVS says it is on track to reach its goal in scaling up the HealthHUB stores this year. COVID-19 also forced the company to think of ways to evolve the design as the pandemic forced many people to stay home instead of seeking out in-person services.

For instance, HealthHUBs began to offer online streams of wellness and nutrition content from its community rooms in place of in-person classes, and care concierges pivoted to focus on reaching out to patients telephonically, according to the report.

The company expects to take those experiences and continue to shape the HealthHUB design in a consumer-centric way, according to the report.

"We believe virtual engagement with our HealthHUB locations will only continue to accelerate and will build our future offerings to beyond brick-and-mortar locations," CVS said.