dr. gellad: yeah. i mean, those are a lot of grand things they can happen, but it really, i mean, it really will, it can do all of those things they talk about. you can do none of those things. when you talk about cvs, which is present, there's 10,000 stores. the statistic i read was that 80% of americans live within 10 miles of a cvs and 70% live within three miles. cvs is just everywhere. and it is not hard to imagine the kinds of things they are talking about if you, for example, if you have an issue where you might call your pcp or try to go to the doctor's office if you can go around the corner and see someone, then it's just going to be a lot simpler. imagine taking it a step further, where not only do you go to cvs and see someone but there may be telehealth services and you can telehealth and see a specialist. there's all kinds of possibilities. remember, cvs is not just a pharmacy. it is home infusion services. think about instead of going to the doctor's office to get infusions of whatever me

dr. gellad. caller: good morning and merry christmas to you all. this merger is nothing but the competitive battle between walgreens and cvs. there are several areas in neark have medical -- in america that have medically under served areas with all of the medical specialties. this merger doesn't talk about how they're going to generate that kind of professionalism within our medical schools because at the university of illinois there is the largest medical school in america and also the university of chicago is the largest public research center in america. , s merger has no documented unmet needs to address areas that are medically under served in terms of public health sues or dealing with opiates outside every major city. along with the whole question of accessing care, i know in chicago cvs is relatively new to the market. this competitive edge is doing nothing to curb some of the major problems like immunizations, school physicals, the kinds of services you need to have for trauma, the kind

dr. gellad said.umber one, in markets where not not, where there's enough money, especially rural meidicine, there have been more physicians. must the fact that the physician is a professional and provides a service and his name, customers his patients. for cvs-aetna, the patient is no longer -- there's no professionalism there. the -- the patients would be forced to use aetna products. and a may not be the best products for that patient. we lose the bond between physicians and patients. and, you know, i have one question for dr. gellad. i know he's not really thought about that issue about rural medicine. is he a paid consultant with any pharmaceutical companies? i'd appreciate hearing the answer. guest: no, i'm not a consultant for any pharmaceutical company or any pharmacy or any company. but i appreciate that question. that is an excellent question. i'm a doctor. i completely get what you are saying. there is a special bond and a special relationship and this does have the potential to disrupt tha

dr. gellad, thank you so much for joining us today. dr. gellad: good morning. host: so, tell us, i also want to note that cvs health changed its name three years ago. in some say