Walmart has been in the business of giving customers what they need when they need it for years, but now the popular retail store has plans to bring their one-stop-shop approach to health care in a major way. If test locations in two rural Georgia towns prove successful, one can expect to start seeing Walmart Health clinics pop up across the country.
This shift seems to be a natural next step for Walmart, who has had pharmacies and optical departments in thousands of stores for several years. Staffed by a variety of health professionals, these new Health clinics would give people, with and without insurance, access to a variety of services from primary care to counseling all in one place. And the retail giant seems to be banking on patients taking advantage of the opportunity to bundle services.
WALMART HEALTH SERVICES INCLUDE:
Labs & X-Rays
Fitness & Nutrition
Health Insurance Education & Enrollment
Primary Care
Dental Care
Counseling
Optometry
Hearing
Health Screening
Walmart believes it can fill the gap for customers without health insurance as well as those whose plans have high deductibles or out-of-pocket costs. Their transparent, flat-rate fees – no insurance required – will certainly go a long way in making these services more affordable for patients.
WALMMART HEALTH FLAT FEES:
Sick or Injury Visit: $40
Annual Checkup: $30
Youth Annual Checkup: $20
Dental Exam: $50
Youth Dental Exam: $40
Eye Exam: $45
New Patient Counseling: $60
Existing Patient Counseling: $45
Where other retail clinics or urgent cares have struggled to develop long-term relationships with patients beyond the occasional test or basic treatment, Walmart is hoping to encourage routine checkups and ongoing treatment for chronic illnesses. With their current set-up, a patient could potentially see a primary care physician, get diagnosed with diabetes, and be connected with an on-site nutritionist or fitness classes to assist with their care management. The nutritionist could then take the patient through the attached Walmart store to find foods that fit new diet recommendations. Bringing things full circle, on-site health insurance educators can alert the patient that their plan includes a stipend to help cover the cost of a healthy meal.
While this variety of access to services and health professionals at competitive costs will certainly give consumers more ways to engage with the company, the question remains whether the relationship Walmart has built with customers for retail needs can translate to their health needs – and if these clinics can prove successful outside a rural market.
(Pricing pulled from the Walmart website at time of this writing.)
