In the last few months, Walmart has deepened its presence in healthcare with new primary care clinics and expanded telehealth services.
Below are some of Walmart's key healthcare moves since Jan. 1, as reported by Becker's Hospital Review.
Jan. 1: Walmart announces it is expanding benefits available through its telehealth program, which offers $4 virtual care visits via Doctor on Demand's platform. Employees in Colorado, Minnesota and Wisconsin can now access the program.
Jan. 15: Walmart says it has opened its second freestanding health clinic, Walmart Health, in Calhoun, Ga. The first location opened Sept. 13, 2019, in Dallas, Ga. The clinics offer patients $30 medical checkups, $25 teeth cleanings 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 the clinics.
Feb. 25: Sean Slovenski, Walmart's president of health and wellness, says the number of patients who have visited the health centers in Georgia has surpassed expectations. While he would not reveal the number of patients, he said that volume is "substantially higher than our expectations." 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," he says.
March 2: Walmart and Verizon Communications are in talks to put 5G wireless service in select locations over the next year to improve digital health services, reports say.
June 15: Walmart says it is buying prescription management technology from startup CareZone. The technology allows patients to scan insurance cards and prescription drug labels to help them determine which drugs are covered by their health plan.
June 15: HHS announces that Walmart is donating its dispensing services to help expand access to HIV prevention drugs, known as pre-exposure prophylaxis medications. The program allows uninsured patients to fill their prescriptions at no cost at Walmart pharmacies.
June 17: Walmart opens its third Walmart Health clinic location in Loganville, Ga. Walmart said it believes that expanding the standalone clinics will help bring affordable, quality healthcare to more Americans, because 90 percent of them live within 10 miles of a Walmart store.
June 24: Walmart expands its Walmart Health clinics into Arkansas. The company opens its first Walmart Health location in Springdale, Ark.
June 30: Humana announces it has entered into a partnership with Walmart and Quest Diagnostics to help expand COVID-19 testing for its members. Humana says it expects to open about 500 testing locations at Walmart pharmacies.