Loblaw Expands PC Health App to Ontario, BC, Alberta

Need to Know

• The PC Health App, which Loblaw launched in Atlantic Canada in October, has now expanded to Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta.
• The app gives users access to healthcare resources, such as the ability to chat live with a registered nurse, and offers Optimum Points as rewards for completing health goals.
• Loblaw plans to expand the app, which is powered by health OS company League, nationwide in the coming months.

Analysis

Grocery conglomerate Loblaw has expanded its PC Health app to three new provinces, just over a month after it launched in Atlantic Canada.

PC Health is now available to download in Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta. The app, which is powered by leading healthcare operating system company League, offers users access to health support and advice from expert practitioners such as nurses and dieticians and set personal health and wellness goals.

Users of the app who complete their profile with personal health goals will have access to tailored advice based on their wellness priorities, such as maternal health or diet and nutrition. Free health programs and educational content within PC Health provide tips and guidance on leading a healthier life. In addition, users of the app can collect PC Optimum Points for achieving health goals, and purchase health and wellness products from a curated marketplace directly within the app.

“Our company’s purpose is to help Canadians live life well and the PC Health app is an innovative and powerful new tool that we really think brings this to life,” Jeff Leger, president, Shoppers Drug Mart, said in a statement announcing the app’s expansion. “This app combines our company’s expertise — health and wellness advice, nutrition, and rewards — into a healthcare solution for Canadians that can live right at their fingertips.”

PC Health also features “care navigators” who can guide users towards the support they are looking for, such as finding a nearby dentist or a medical clinic that’s open late. In addition to live support from nurses and dieticians, the app will also offer access to real-time virtual care from pharmacists, family physicians and specialists within the app in the coming months. Loblaw also plans to add virtual physician care and a digital pharmacy to PC Health.

“Since launching in Atlantic Canada, we’ve had really great feedback from customers who are interacting with both the care teams and healthcare programs and have been excited by how helpful they are in meeting their specific needs,” Leger said. “Whether Canadians need help finding a local physician, want support with simple meal planning or are looking to better understand their sleep habits, the PC Health app has the tools to help them better manage their health and wellbeing.”

Loblaw launched the PC Health app in October of this year, in partnership with League, the leading Canadian healthcare OS provider. The launch was just the latest in a series of healthcare investments for the grocery conglomerate, which in September announced it has acquired a material minority stake in Maple, a company that connects patients with virtual telehealth solutions. Thanks to this investment, as well as other digital innovations and initiatives, Loblaw earned $15.7 billion in revenue in its third quarter, with e-commerce alone spiking by 175%.