Where can you shop for a chia-bearded version of Duck Dynasty’s Uncle Si, a Major League Baseball urn for your loved one’s ashes and get a $30 medical checkup, a $25 teeth cleaning or talk to a therapist for a dollar a minute? Walmart Care Clinics.
In the 1950s, the center of every town was its church. But in 2020, it’s the local Walmart. It’s where Americans go to have almost all of their daily needs met, including car repairs, groceries, hair styling, money transfers and now, healthcare.
Once you enter the separate entrance, a Walmart Care Clinic host will escort you from the waiting area to one of several care rooms. Once your appointment is over, you can move over to the Walmart in-store pharmacy, hand in your prescription and then do a bit of shopping while you wait for it to be filled.
Care Clinics add to Optometrists and Pharmacies to Expand Walmart's Healthcare Footprint
Walmart Care Clinics are the company’s latest attempt at getting a bigger piece of the $3.6 trillion healthcare pie and puts it toe-to-toe with the Health Hubs of CVS Health Corp. With more than 150 million shoppers strolling through its almost 5,000 stores every week, it’s hard to see Walmart Care Clinics failing.
This is not Walmart’s first foray into healthcare. The first Walmart pharmacy opened its doors in 1978 and in 2006 it was offering generic prescriptions for as little as $4. Today its health and wellness division is worth in excess of $36 billion, fills more than 400 million every year and includes 3,000 vision centers for eyecare
Walmart Care Clinics Could Bring Affordable Care to the Masses
Walmart Care Clinics are seen as a significant step up from the in-store health clinics that were popular among retail chains a decade ago. Those locations only covered less serious medical situations like flu shots, sore throats and supplying prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs. In comparison, Walmart Care Clinics are primary care clinics that are equipped with fully qualified and certified nursing practitioners, able to provide safe and high-quality health services.
Walmart healthcare professionals can diagnose and treat a number of basic medical ailments, conduct and interpret a wide range of diagnostic tests, assist patients in managing chronic conditions, perform vaccinations, refer patients to specialists when needed and prescribe medication.
Walmart Care Clinics services include:
- Counseling
- Dental
- Health screening
- Labs & x-rays
- Primary care
- Primary care
- Illnesses and injuries
- Management of ongoing conditions
- Physicals & wellness checks
- Lab tests & immunizations
Walmart Care Clinics Will Service the Uninsured
Walmart Care Clinics are a boon to the uninsured with their discounted healthcare prices and convenience. It allows a patient to have some lab work done quickly over the weekend at almost $10 less than they would pay anywhere else. They can then have their prescription filled without having to travel to another location
There are currently three Walmart Care Clinics operating – Georgia, South Carolina and Texas. However, there are plans for rapid expansion and based on Walmart’s massive network and infrastructure, it’s just a matter of time before Walmart’s slogan of “Save money, live better” becomes “Save money, live better and healthier”.
