Just two months after taking the reins, Tim Wentworth, Walgreens Boots Alliance’s new CEO, has hit the ground running, already making tough decisions that promise to put the underperforming health care and retail company back on track. Speaking to financial analysts at the beginning of the month, Went­worth noted that he has been given a mandate to take strong action and provided evidence that he intends to do so.

Along with first quarter results (sales increased 8.7% on a constant currency basis, while losses shrank considerably), WBA announced that it was cutting its quarterly dividend payment by 48%, while maintaining earnings per share guidance for the full fiscal year. Wentworth said the reduced dividend, together with other strategic adjustments, will bolster the company’s balance sheet, enabling it to increase capital investments that drive growth and lower debt levels.

Wentworth’s astute assessment of WBA’s finances and decisiveness in addressing them bodes well for his ability to deal with the tougher issues that lie ahead. Like all retail pharmacy operators, WBA will have to rethink its role in a health care system beset by chronic challenges of access, quality and cost.

“There is still plenty of work to be done,” said Wentworth. “The future of health care and of this company both require innovative new thinking. My headline to you is that everything is on the table to deliver greater shareholder value. We have the experience and the license to deeply examine our business and make the changes that position us well going forward. … We are not pivoting away from our position as the premier neighborhood retail pharmacy, but we are instead redefining what we can do to help payers, providers and pharma achieve their goals.”

Having spent most of his career on the payer side of health care, Wentworth is well equipped to help WBA succeed as new service and reimbursement models take shape. Woven into the fabric of communities across the U.S., Walgreens interacts with patients and customers on a regular basis, providing the company with multiple points of contact for creating value across the health care continuum. Went­worth, who previously served as CEO of PBM Express Scripts and Evernorth, Cigna’s health services organization, is determined to leverage that strength, together with the trust that patients have in Walgreens pharmacists, as the company works with payers to forge new models that fairly reimburse pharmacies for the products — and services — they provide.

It is still early days, but indications are that Wentworth will provide effective leadership for WBA in the new era of health care that is now emerging.