Walmart has expanded into primary care by opening two new standalone health clinics in the last six months, pitting it against rivals also pushing into healthcare, such as CVS Health and Amazon, according to Bloomberg.
Walmart Health opened its first clinic last September in Dallas, Ga., and in January it opened its second clinic in Calhoun, Ga.
The clinics offer patients $30 medical checkups, a $25 teeth cleaning and access to a mental health counselor for $1 per minute. Prices for these services are listed on bright digital billboards in the waiting room of Walmart Health's clinics.
Sean Slovenski, Walmart's president of health and wellness, would not reveal the number of patients who have visited the health centers since they opened, but told Bloomberg that patient volume has been "substantially higher than our expectations."
Mr. Slovenski said the Walmart Health model is attractive to patients because it lowers the cost of delivering health services by about 40 percent while eliminating "administrative baloney."
The two Walmart Health clinics are part of the retailer's attempt to grab a larger share of the nation’s $3.6 trillion in health spending. It plans to direct some of the 150 million people coming through its 4,756 U.S. stores each week to improve healthcare delivery and convenience.
Walmart hasn't revealed the number of clinics it will build but said the third one will open this summer in Loganville, Ga.
CVS said it plans to have 1,500 HealthHubs in place by 2021.