Americans are increasingly turning to "Doctor Walmart" and other retail healthcare clinics as they seek convenient care and trust large retailers with their health data, The Economist reported.
Walmart has opened more than 30 health centers since 2019, with plans to more than double by next year, joining other retail healthcare competitors including Amazon, CVS, Dollar General and Walgreens. These retailers are betting on an increase in value-based care, where providers make more money if they keep patients healthy and out of the hospital, according to the June 21 story.
Consumer behaviors and expectations are also changing. Nearly a third of consumers — and more than a third of those aged 18 to 35 — are open to getting healthcare at a grocery or big-box store, with more than 90 percent saying they'd trust a retailer with their health data, according to an Accenture survey cited in the story. Nine in 10 Americans live within 10 miles of a Walmart, while three-quarters live within five miles of a Dollar General, the news outlet noted.
"Firms that get it wrong will struggle," The Economist wrote. "Those that get it right will increase their share of the immense tide of money sloshing around America's bloated and inefficient healthcare system, and may also, incidentally, keep people healthier."