Walmart Plans To Capitalize On Primary Care Shortage By Adding Medical Services: UPDATE

Walmart shoppers may soon be able to get a physical or have an allergy test after picking up their groceries if the big-box retailer gets its way.

The nation's largest retailer sent out a request for potential partners last month that would help the store become "the largest provider of primary care services in the nation," according to NPR and Kaiser Health News. Walmart sent the request -- which indicates that the store plans to offer services ranging from vaccinations to urine tests -- during the same week the retail giant said it would cut health benefits for part-time workers, according to NPR.

By making a push to become a player in the health care industry, Walmart is putting itself in position to take advantage of a highly profitable sector of the economy. And that shouldn't change any time soon. A recent report estimated that health care costs would account for a fifth of the entire U.S. economy by the end of this decade.

Walmart already offers health clinics in some of its locations. The store inked a partnership with Adena Urgent Care last month that would put some of the health provider's clinics in stores in Chillicothe and Washington Court House Ohio starting in January, the Chillicothe Gazette reports.

The health care services could help to bolster Walmart's reputation as a one-stop shop for consumers. The retail giant's financial services arm, which feature "money centers" offering check cashing and bill paying, have gotten a boost since a slew of big banks announced they would start charging debit card fees, according to The New York Times. Many of the banks have since back tracked on their plans to put the charges in place.

In addition to the financial centers, Walmart offers a variety of other services, including auto check ups, vision care and even salons in some locations.

Though the move would make Walmart a one-stop shop for consumers looking for everything from toothpaste to clothes to a stress test, the store would reap other benefits from adding the medical clinics. The demand for primary care physicians is only likely to rise allowing Walmart to capitalize on consumers looking for a doctor. The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates that the U.S. will be short 21,000 primary care physicians by 2015.

Adding the clinics would also help Walmart compete with drug stores that offer medical services in-house, such as CVS and Walgreens. CVS expanded its Minuteclinic services last month. The seven-day-a-week clinics are now in 600 CVS locations, according to South Carolina news site, SCnow.com.

UPDATE: Walmart says its description of its health care ambitions in the request for information sent to vendors that was obtained by NPR was "overwritten and incorrect," Reuters reports. "We are not building a national, integrated, low-cost primary care health care platform," John Agwunobi, senior vice president & president of Walmart U.S. health & wellness said in a statement, according to Reuters.

Comments

[loynaz1]

12:39 PM on 11/13/2011

Anyone ever seen the movie Idiocracy?... it's Wallyworld that will soon be supplying all our essential services from medical to education....

[ThisIsJustWrong]

01:03 PM on 11/12/2011

Was that a "just kidding" at the end of that article?

[Ossit]

11:52 AM on 11/12/2011

GOODDOC1 your apology for your deliberately nasty comment about me going to Dr. Conrad Murray is NOT accepted by me. A)you deliberately were nasty B)you didn't personally apologize to me and I'd never accept it if you did because you were deliberately cruel C) Your flippant attitude in the first place was meant to be condescending which proves you have no real respect. I've never shown disrespect toward you and that's how you repay me by suggesting a murderer for a personal physician? I wouldn't trust you to give a glass of water!

[Ossit]

11:30 AM on 11/12/2011

Two more things about my late Dr. Riff. Unlike most doctors, Riff never stopped learning. He always learned from patients. They knew how their bodies worked. He listened. If he didn't know why something happened he'd say and actually research it and call you up to alleviate your worry. He was kind yet no nonsense. Try to self-diagnose you'd get a gentle "And how many years of Medical School did you say you had? You let me diagnose, okay?" Okay! Tests weren't in timely, the whole office would hear him chew out the lab. That's how important his patients were. There was none of this come back next week so I can charge you again for your test results.He'd explain all medication side effects, he'd even give generics if available for that med. Medication problem, he'd keep adjusting dosage or try something new. Then, he'd sit in front of you and write his notes of your exam and still talk to you. His handwriting though, like all doctors, was atrocious. I still have my records and still try to read some of his handwriting.His patients always came first and nothing was too small for him and each visit was only $50. He never raised his price so money was NOT his objective. When I experience crappy ER doctors and a couple personal awful ones and people defend them, I always remember what a doctor should be and Riff was it!

[Ossit]

11:13 AM on 11/12/2011

Let me give an example of how special my late Dr. Riff was. You walk in, tell the secretary your problem. Riff would come in like 20 minutes later after his last patient. He'd actually wash his hands before touching you, right at the sink in your exam room. Does anyone else's personal physician wash his hands? Do they even wear gloves? Riff never needed gloves. He's spend at least five minutes washing his hands in front of you. He'd know exactly why you were there because he'd actually READ your newest problem. He'd do his exam and tell you what you have, why you have it. THEN he'd not leave until you asked questions. He'd insist on it. No question was too insignificant.When Riff passed in '95 I cried for days. I had Riff from when I was 14-35 and I loved that man like a relative. He knew my folks, my brother hung with his eldest of two sons, he lived across the street at the corner, but I'd never met him until I was 14.He would've been a popular ER doctor had he not gone into private practice. He'd treat you excellently with or without insurance. There'll never again be a gem like Dr. Emmanuel Riff. Never!

[Ossit]

10:37 AM on 11/12/2011

You're absolutely right, nawseeya, GOODDOC1's comment was deliberately snotty.He's the perfect example of the kind of ER doctors that exist today and I'm a girl by the way. Doctors stick together and they take everything personally. What they don't take personally is giving excellent care. Money is all they care about and ER doctors offer especially shoddy care to poor folks. They think we don't know the difference. Since everyone is entitled to medical care which sure beats dying, one has no choice to ER it if they can't afford a personal physician. I had one many years ago who passed away and Dr. Riff was an amazing man. He listened, he cared, he never judged and he'd spend as long as 20 minutes for each exam. Fortunately I'm rarely sick. If Riff were still alive I'd have gone to him. He only charged $50/visit. Once he said to me "If I had could I wouldn't charge you." Now THAT was a doctor. When Riff died, all went to heck with doctors even the two private ones I did see. Hated them and never went back. They were both as condescendingly cruel as we've just seen our ER doctor here. Not surprising. Medical School will take anyone nowadays if you've got the money. Quality doesn't count. Quantity does.

[Ossit]

10:14 AM on 11/12/2011

Three bad ER doctors was enough, GOODDOC1! When you have a doctor that deliberately ignores you and gives you Codeine when he was told TWICE that could've killed me because I can't breathe when given it, when I have an ER doctor refusing call contact people when the hospital demands contacts and forces the patient to after they've been in a serious car accident and strapped to a damn backboard and left alone and I had breathing problems and LEFT for a half hour, when an ER doctor deliberately gives me more pain than necessary for an exam and refuses to read my medical history. The doctor was NOT Mr. Intake. Two SEPARATE people. I was told if I didn't submit to an unnecessary urinalysis, I would've BEEN turned away. My bladder ain't connected to my ear canals! The ER was virtually empty and I know all about triage. Unfortunately your kind think all patients especially poor ones are medical idiots. I could give you a better exam as I trained as a Medical Assistant. We did a lot more than just learn to draw blood and take vitals. First class was on giving EKG's AND reading them! Medicine is more a hobby than what I'd do as a profession.Dad used to collect JAMA and I read them AND understood the articles.Loved the pictures. Your intentionally insensitive comment about Murry as a private doctor for me proves you're just another ER doctor not worth their salt.

[miltonc4l]

12:24 PM on 11/11/2011

Fantastic! The only ways to truly bring down the costs for medical services are increased supply, innovation, economy of scale and other market-driven forces.

If the government and the big government cheerleaders would focus their energy on facilitating THIS process, we would see prices become affordable for more and more U.S. citizens. But no, they'd rather pass mandates, enact price controls and confiscate wealth to run government bureaucracies.

[Republican crybabies]

12:17 PM on 11/11/2011

LOL, right, go to Walmart for your health care.

[Towering Inferno]

09:32 AM on 11/11/2011

It is a mathematical fact that fifty percent of all doctors graduate in the bottom half of their class. Healthcare already has a nickname for some facilities, called "Doc in the Box." Thanks for the addition, "Doc in the Big-Box."

[majorwood]

08:38 AM on 11/11/2011

This sounds like an idea to cut Walmart's health care costs. Provide in-store health clinics, cut most employees to part-time so they don't qualify for healthcare, give employees a 5% discount and Walmart still profits. We need to bring back anti-trust laws and break this monster up, before the country gets re-named The United States of Walmart. Excuse me now while I go vomit.

[thejazz]

08:30 AM on 11/11/2011

America has to pause a minute and look around. How sad is it that wal-mart is trying to solve the countries health issues and the government is not. They started with the $4 perscription, now on to primary care. If they can do it fine, it would stop that huge sucking sound that is the health care industry and health insurance vacuuming money out of our pockets. Maybe it will catch on.

And the report that employees have to have 24 hour a week to get health care is just a symptom of the entire health care mess that is the United States. It really doesn't have anything to do with them providing health care.

[CSNC]

11:10 PM on 11/10/2011

"Urine Test On Aisle Five? Walmart Looks To Expand Medical Services"

I would consider going to Walmart if I could pee on aisle five. Oh, that is not what you meant...

H

[PatrickforO]

12:31 AM on 11/11/2011

Sorry, I can't resist...

Attention associates - wet cleanup on aisle 5!

Wet cleanup on aisle 5! Report immediately!

[CSNC]

12:44 AM on 11/11/2011

PatrickforO,

You can't resist saying and I can't resist imagining it.

Thanks,
H

[dayzee10]

09:03 PM on 11/10/2011

I despise Wal-Mart......but if they can provide medical care cheaply with QUALITY then why not?

[PatrickforO]

12:40 AM on 11/11/2011

Our healthcare system is still broken in spite of the new national healthcare law. All that law really does is move who pays around a little bit, but does nothing to cut costs. If we really decide healthcare for every American is a priority (and it is definitely is one of my strongest ones), then we are going to have to take some painful steps. First, we must get the insurance industry out of the picture, because they add in around 25% to the already astronomical $2.5 trillion yearly outlay of Americans for healthcare. Second, we have to really, seriously stress preventive medicine, starting with good diet, exercise and all that. Third, we must then work with food manufacturers to get the s**t off the shelves and replace it with healthy goods. I am not crazy about cooking at all, but the thing is, try to eat heathy when you eat out. Very hard. Finally, we need to restructure the tax base, and get the burden of health care coverage off the backs of businesses. A single payer system such as medicare, extended to all Americans would give the payer some serious leverage in driving costs down. Painful, but at $2.5 trillion a year, or 17.9% of GDP if you prefer, it's going to break us unless we get corporate money out of our government so our policy makers can develop the guts necessary to carry through real reform.

[PatrickforO]

12:43 AM on 11/11/2011

Oh, and I'm not being callous toward the health insurance business - we can do the same thing with that industry as we did for workers laid off because of NAFTA. Provide monies to retrain them and place them in other industries through the nation's workforce development system. Remember - it is NOT about health insurance; it is about health CARE.

[BigDogMom]

01:59 PM on 11/10/2011

Next McDonald's will be offering drive-thru medical screenings with their happy meals...