Oak Street Health is a Medicare-focused primary care network founded in 2012 and now owned by CVS Health. It operates 200+ centers across 25 states and serves older adults on Medicare exclusively. The care model prioritizes prevention, monthly check-ins, and dedicated care teams.
New patients receive 40-minute appointments for the first two visits — far longer than the 10-15 minutes standard at traditional practices. Monthly follow-ups replace the reactive sick-visit model. Behavioral health, chronic disease management, and virtual specialty care are integrated into one location. The network holds the only AARP endorsement among primary care providers.
Despite strong clinical design, Oak Street Health holds an NPS of -53 and a $60 million Anti-Kickback settlement on its record. This review covers how the model works, what patients say, what it costs, and whether it’s worth it for Medicare patients.
What Is Oak Street Health?
Oak Street Health is a Medicare-focused primary care network serving older adults and disabled individuals across 200+ centers in 25 states. Here’s the thing: it operates exclusively for Medicare and Medicare Advantage patients, with a model built around prevention, personalization, and frequent check-ins.
CVS Health acquired Oak Street Health in May 2023 for $10.6 billion in an all-cash deal. In fact, the acquisition folded Oak Street Health into CVS Healthspire — the health services arm of CVS Health.
The scale is hard to ignore. Over 200 centers now operate across 25 states, making Oak Street Health one of the largest dedicated Medicare primary care providers in the country.
Key Facts:
- Founded: 2012, Chicago, Illinois
- Acquired by CVS Health in May 2023 for $10.6 billion
- 200+ centers across 25 states
- Exclusively serves Medicare and Medicare Advantage patients
- Only primary care provider endorsed by AARP
Who Founded Oak Street Health?
Oak Street Health was founded in 2012 by Mike Pykosz, Griffin Myers, and Geoff Price, with headquarters established in Chicago, Illinois. The three co-founders built it around a simple thesis: Medicare patients get better outcomes from proactive, relationship-based primary care.
The company hit a major milestone in August 2020. It went public on the NYSE under ticker OSH, raising $328 million at $21 per share. Not bad for a 2012 startup.
Is Oak Street Health Part of CVS?
Yes. Oak Street Health became part of CVS Health in May 2023 after a $10.6 billion acquisition, integrating it into the CVS Healthspire portfolio. CVS is one of the largest healthcare companies in the US. The acquisition brought significant institutional resources and regulatory oversight.
Despite that, Oak Street Health still runs under its own brand. Patients interact with Oak Street Health staff at dedicated clinic locations — not CVS pharmacy staff. The brand continuity is intentional.
How Does Oak Street Health Work?
Oak Street Health pairs every patient with a dedicated care team that learns their full medical history before delivering preventive, relationship-based primary care. New patients get 40-minute appointments for the first two visits. That’s significantly longer than the 10-15 minutes you’d get at a traditional practice.
After those initial visits? Monthly check-ups and consultations. ‘We see patients more frequently than any traditional practice,’ the organization states. That frequency is the core differentiator.
And here’s the important part: the model centers on prevention, not reaction. Education, social activities, and health management are built into regular visits — not reserved for when something goes wrong.
What Happens at Your First Oak Street Health Appointment?
The first two appointments at Oak Street Health each run 40 minutes, giving the care team time to thoroughly review medical history and establish a personalized care plan. This extended format isn’t an accident — rushing new patient relationships undermines the whole preventive care model.
Staff conduct medication reconciliation as a standard step. For patients recently discharged from hospital, Oak Street Health targets a follow-up visit within one week. Why does that matter? It closes the care gaps that form between hospital and primary care settings — a window where complications often develop.
First Visit Steps:
- 40-minute appointment with dedicated physician to review full medical history.
- Medication reconciliation completed by care team staff.
- Personalized care plan established based on chronic conditions and health goals.
- Monthly follow-up schedule set before leaving the first appointment.
Does Oak Street Health Accept Medicare?
Yes. Oak Street Health accepts most Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans regardless of patient income, covering a wide range of national and local insurance plans. The network was designed specifically for Medicare-eligible older adults and disabled individuals.
Here’s what’s worth knowing: Oak Street Health doesn’t serve commercial insurance patients at all. The Medicare-exclusive focus allows deep specialization in geriatric care and chronic condition management — a depth generalist practices can’t match when Medicare patients are just one segment among many.
What Services Does Oak Street Health Offer?
Oak Street Health provides primary care, immunizations, cancer screenings, chronic disease management, behavioral health integration, and 24/7 patient support services under one roof. The goal is to consolidate the core healthcare needs of older adults into a single, coordinated care setting.
In 2021, Oak Street Health acquired RubiconMD for $130 million to integrate virtual specialty care. That’s the part most people miss. Patients get specialist consultations without the delays and coordination burden of traditional referral processes.
Scheduling is built for accessibility. Same-day and next-day appointments are available. Patients also have 24/7 support — a meaningful contrast to traditional practices with limited after-hours options.
Full Service List:
- Primary care and physician consultations
- Immunizations and preventive screenings
- Cancer screenings
- Chronic disease management
- Behavioral health integration
- Virtual specialty care via RubiconMD
- Same-day and next-day appointments
- 24/7 patient support
Does Oak Street Health Treat Chronic Conditions?
Yes. Chronic disease management is a core pillar of the Oak Street Health model, designed to proactively manage conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease in Medicare patients. Monthly check-ins give care teams early visibility into worsening conditions before hospitalization becomes necessary.
The outcomes are measurable. Oak Street Health reports a reduction in hospital admissions compared to Medicare benchmarks. Bottom line: consistent monitoring and early intervention — built into monthly visits — keeps patients out of the hospital.
Does Oak Street Health Offer Behavioral Health Support?
Yes. Behavioral health support is integrated directly into the Oak Street Health primary care model, with patients engaged in behavioral health early in their care journey. This integration eliminates the referral gap that delays mental health treatment in traditional care settings.
The clinical outcomes are specific. Patients who engaged with behavioral health support early dropped at least five points on the PHQ-9 depression assessment within the first six weeks. That’s a clinically meaningful improvement by standard benchmarks — not just a feel-good metric.
What Do Oak Street Health Patient Reviews Say?
Oak Street Health patient reviews are mixed, with 7 positive reviews and 19 constructive reviews out of 26 analyzed — more than half of customers believe service quality has room to improve. The picture is of a care model with strong clinical intent but inconsistent execution.
Here’s the kicker: Oak Street Health holds an NPS of -53. That’s 21% Promoters, 5% Passives, and 74% Detractors. An NPS below zero means more detractors than promoters — a significant trust deficit for any healthcare provider.
The product quality score from user ratings stands at 2 out of 5. This reflects patient-reported experience, not clinical outcomes. So what does that mean? There’s a gap between the care model’s intentions and what patients actually experience day-to-day.
Oak Street Health Review Summary:
| Metric | Score |
| Net Promoter Score (NPS) | -53 |
| % Promoters | 21% |
| % Detractors | 74% |
| Product Quality Score | 2 out of 5 |
| Positive reviews (of 26 analyzed) | 7 |
What Are the Positive Oak Street Health Reviews?
Positive reviewers consistently highlight physicians who are thorough, ask great questions, and take genuine time to understand patient history during extended appointments. The 40-minute first visit earns specific praise — patients note it allows real conversations rather than rushed consultations.
The dedicated care team model draws strong feedback too. Patients say staff learn their individual needs over time and proactively follow up after hospital stays. Think of it this way: that’s a fundamentally different experience from traditional practices where patients see a different provider every visit.
Top Positive Themes:
- Thorough physicians who ask detailed questions
- Extended appointment length (40 minutes for first two visits)
- Proactive follow-up after hospital discharge
- Dedicated care team that learns patient history over time
What Are the Common Complaints About Oak Street Health?
The most common complaint is difficulty reaching local Oak Street Health offices directly, as calls are routed to a nationwide number rather than connecting patients to their local clinic. Centralized phone routing creates real frustration when patients have location-specific questions or urgent needs.
More than half of customers reported expecting better service. The complaints point to communication gaps and inconsistent follow-through across locations. In plain English: the care model isn’t applied uniformly, and some locations deliver a noticeably worse experience than others.
Common Complaints:
- Calls routed to a nationwide number, not local clinic
- Cannot reach local office directly
- Inconsistent service quality across locations
- Communication gaps between visits
How Much Does Oak Street Health Cost?
Oak Street Health costs most patients nothing beyond standard Medicare copays and deductibles, as the network accepts Medicare and Medicare Advantage without additional enrollment fees. For patients already covered by Medicare, the full Oak Street Health care model adds no new financial burden.
The organization runs on a value-based care model, not fee-for-service. That’s an important distinction. Oak Street Health gets paid based on patient outcomes — so its financial incentive is keeping patients healthy, not maximizing visit volume.
Is Oak Street Health Free for Medicare Patients?
Yes. Medicare patients pay only standard Medicare cost-sharing at Oak Street Health — there are no additional fees or enrollment costs to access the care model. The standard Medicare deductible and copay structure applies, identical to any other Medicare-accepting provider.
Some Medicare Advantage plans include over-the-counter benefits accessible through Oak Street Health. That can reduce out-of-pocket costs further. Patients should check their specific Medicare Advantage plan for applicable coverage details.
Where Is Oak Street Health Located?
Oak Street Health operates more than 200 centers across 25 states, with clinics concentrated in urban areas and underserved communities where quality primary care access is limited. The footprint spans major metro areas and smaller markets historically underserved by the healthcare system.
Location placement is a deliberate strategy. Clinics go into lower-access areas and underserved neighborhoods. The reason is simple: that’s where Medicare-eligible populations face the biggest barriers to reaching healthcare providers — and where the Oak Street model creates the most impact.
How Many Oak Street Health Locations Are There?
Oak Street Health grew from 50 centers in 8 states in 2020 to more than 100 centers in 18 states by 2021, and now exceeds 200 centers across 25 states. The rapid expansion reflected investor and insurer confidence in the value-based care model ahead of the CVS acquisition.
In October 2025, CVS announced the closure of 16 Oak Street Health locations due to elevated medical costs. The closures reduced the center count modestly but didn’t signal a broader pullback from the network’s national footprint.
Location Growth Timeline:
| Year | Centers | States |
| 2020 | 50+ | 8 |
| 2021 | 100+ | 18 |
| 2024 | 200+ | 25 |
| 2025 (post-closures) | 180+ | 25 |
Is Oak Street Health Legit?
Oak Street Health is a legitimate, operating primary care network owned by CVS Health, endorsed by AARP, and serving hundreds of thousands of Medicare patients across 25 states. Institutional ownership, AARP endorsement, and years of clinical operation confirm its legitimacy as a provider.
Here’s what no one tells you: the organization settled Anti-Kickback Statute violations in September 2024 for $60 million. That statute prohibits paying to induce Medicare referrals. Oak Street Health continued operating under CVS Health oversight following the payment — no clinical licenses were revoked and patient-facing operations continued without structural changes.
That said, CVS Health ownership provides institutional oversight that an independent operator simply can’t match. For patients evaluating credibility, CVS’s compliance infrastructure adds a real layer of accountability.
Is Oak Street Health Approved by AARP?
Yes. Oak Street Health is the only primary care provider to carry the AARP name — a distinction that sets it apart from every other Medicare-focused primary care network in the United States. AARP has over 38 million members and is the largest senior advocacy organization in the country.
AARP endorsement means Oak Street Health meets a high standard of senior-focused care as evaluated by an independent, non-commercial organization. The exclusivity of the endorsement is a meaningful differentiator — no other primary care network has earned it.
Oak Street Health vs Traditional Primary Care?
Oak Street Health provides 40-minute initial appointments and monthly follow-ups compared to the 10-15 minute visits and infrequent check-ins typical of traditional primary care practices. That structural difference in visit length and frequency shapes the entire patient experience.
Traditional primary care is largely reactive. Patients go when sick. Preventive care is secondary. Oak Street Health inverts this completely. Preventive management, chronic disease monitoring, and behavioral health support are built into monthly visits — not reserved for acute illness.
And here’s where it gets interesting: traditional primary care serves all ages. Oak Street Health serves Medicare patients exclusively. That allows specialization in geriatric care, chronic condition management, and the specific challenges of adults over 65 — a depth no generalist practice can structurally replicate.
Comparison:
| Feature | Oak Street Health | Traditional Primary Care |
| First appointment length | 40 minutes | 10-15 minutes |
| Visit frequency | Monthly check-ins | As needed |
| Care approach | Preventive | Reactive |
| Patient population | Medicare only | All ages |
| Behavioral health | Integrated | Referral-based |
Is Oak Street Health Worth It?
For Medicare patients in underserved areas, Oak Street Health delivers more frequent, personalized care at no additional cost beyond standard Medicare coverage — making it a strong option for older adults managing chronic conditions. The 40-minute visits, monthly check-ins, and integrated behavioral health beat what traditional primary care provides.
But the concerns are real. An NPS of -53 and a $60 million legal settlement are significant red flags. Some patients report communication barriers, phone routing frustrations, and inconsistent quality across locations. Short answer: the care model is strong on paper but inconsistently delivered.
Older adults with multiple chronic conditions who need frequent monitoring and care coordination benefit most. Patients seeking lighter-touch care without intensive ongoing management may find the model more structured than their situation requires.