Walmart, the most important U.S. employer with 1.6 million staff, is slowly constructing a network of brick-and-mortar clinics and believes the corporate has a spot within the American health care system.
Next week, the most important U.S. retailer will open two health clinics in DeSoto and Fort Worth targeting seniors and families with comprehensive primary care, behavioral health and dental care services.
Ten clinics will open this summer in Dallas, Fort Worth, Garland, Mesquite, North Richland Hills and Plano. Eight more are within the works around Houston.
Healthcare should be accessible and sometimes which means being comfortable, said Dr. David Carmouche, senior vp of healthcare at Walmart.
Carmouche said he had questions on Walmart's plans to establish clinics before joining the retailer in 2021, but then said he had a broader view of the way in which Americans live.
Health look after most individuals consists of primary care, preventive care and sometimes emergency care, but most individuals are usually not hospitalized in a given 12 months, he said, and there’s value in bringing health care where they’re people go there repeatedly.
“I just think access is difficult. “Frankly, driving across town, parking in a large parking garage and maneuvering around complex medical offices to see a doctor for 15 minutes just doesn't work,” he said. “I was in this world. That’s where I came from.”
Walmart has 55 clinics in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri and Texas. That includes the 22 with which he opens his 12 months: 18 in Texas and 4 in Kansas City. Walmart opened 17 clinics last 12 months.
“Most patients are already Walmart customers, we’re just adding an accessible service,” he said. “About a quarter of our visits occur outside of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.”
The clinics are open Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to five:00 p.m. Telemedicine is obtainable on Sundays.
Walmart Health is expanding its clinic business more slowly than competitors Walgreens VillageMC and Amazon's One Medical. Amazon bought San Francisco-based clinic operator One Medical in 2022 and now has greater than 125 locations. One Medical has three locations in Dallas and 7 around Houston.
Walgreens, which has 83 VillageMD locations in Texas, including 17 in D-FW, took a $5.8 billion charge last month to jot down down the worth of its VillageMD clinics after it declined in acquired a big stake in the corporate in 2022. Last Walgreens closed locations in Illinois and Indiana and pulled out of Florida.
A spokeswoman for VillageMD said there are not any plans to shut comprehensive primary care clinics in Texas.
This week, VillageMD released the outcomes of a two-year study conducted at 14 Houston locations with 1,300 high-risk patients that found more frequent primary care visits reduce hospitalizations. The study was published in The American Journal of Managed Care.
“High-quality primary care can keep patients healthier and out of the hospital,” said Clive Fields, co-founder and chief medical officer of VillageMD. “All Americans should understand that an ongoing relationship with your primary care physician can lead to better health outcomes, improve your quality of life, and reduce future medical misery.”
With 60% of adults within the United States living with a chronic illness, constructing a relationship with primary care that advantages patients and the health care system as an entire is critical, he said.
Because of demographic trends, Walmart Health focused on seniors in Texas, where Carmouche predicted the population over 65 would double to greater than 8 million by 2050.
Texas is Walmart's largest state by variety of stores and employees.
The 176,000 Walmart employees within the state and their family and friends are also potential customers of the clinics, Carmouche said. The clinics are also a way for Walmart to supply advancement opportunities for store associates. This is already happening, he said.
Despite the tight job marketplace for health care professionals, Walmart Health was capable of attract doctors and support staff with what Carmouche called a significant recruiting effort.
“We have to compete. But we were able to sell a different experience,” he said. Many primary care providers are asked to see 30 patients per day for just a number of minutes after which spend a number of hours at home documenting medical records.
“That is not our model. We ensure a better work-life balance,” he said. “We have built a large care team to support our providers.”
The 6,000-square-foot clinics accept insurance but in addition offer prices for patients who pay money. Basic service costs at the brand new DeSoto location An x-ray costs $80 and a dental crown costs $750. A chronic care treatment or sin or injury visit costs $100. A flu test costs $64 and a lipid test costs $29.
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