Friday, August 15, 2014

Walmart Enters the Retail Clinic Business

I think that one of the interesting things about healthcare is the fact that retail clinics have the opportunity to disrupt the delivery method of primary care. I think the impact could be huge. CVS, Walgreens, and Target each have had their shot at retail clinics via their minute clinics. I have visited their services once and for what I used them for I thought it was a good buy. I went in and for less than $70 total cost to me and my insurance I was given a prescription for pink eye as well as a flu immunization and some other immunization. In less than 30 minutes I was in and out and my insurance paid the bill. Wal-Mart I'm sure is doing the same thing where you see a Nurse Practitioner or a Physicians assistant. But their price is going to be $40 per visit.  $4 if it is a Walmart Associate. According to some of the literature from the Patient affordable care act AKA Obamacare there are incentives to form Accountable Care Organizations meaning that there are a network of providers that work together to provide a continuity of service. I believe at $40 per visit is much less than the Urgent Care Clinics as well as a Physician visit. When you add the dimension of time to the service I can see I game changer in delivery of healthcare.

Thanks to John Lynch posting the update over at ourhealthcaresucks.com

http://5newsonline.com/2014/08/13/walmart-trying-out-new-medical-clinics-associates-pay-4-per-visit/

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