Walmart’s Entrance Into Healthcare
In 2020, Walmart made its debut into the healthcare system in the United States. The company added 51 health centers in six states to help underserved community without adequate medical clinics.
Source: Alina Health/Wikipedia Commons
As well, the company also added a large number of doctors to act as virtual health care providers for those in rural areas through telemedicine for those who lacked access to doctors.
Services Offered Through the Big Box Store
Within the Walmart health care locations, patients could expect all the necessary treatments available at a standard walk-in clinic or general practitioner’s office.
Source: Public Domain/Wikipedia Commons
The company rolled out services for primary care, urgent care, labs, X-rays, behavioral health, and even dental work.
States That Will Be Affected by the Closures
During a time when many people struggle to find a primary care doctor, the closures of the clinics are sure to be felt within each community.
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The state’s that will no longer have access to Walmart health centers are Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri and Texas.
Patients Left a Gap in Their Healthcare Providers
The clinics in these areas were booked and filled with patients on a daily basis.
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Now that one of the few clinics open in some rural and underserved areas has closed, residents are left wondering where they will receive care from. Many of the patients who accessed the Walmart health centers were underinsured or or low income.
Harvard Researches Note How the Closures Will Affect Communities
Ateev Mehrotra, a professor of health care policy and medicine at Harvard Medical School, has been studying the effects of the health clinics in small communities.
Source: @LearnTelehealth/X
They state that the reason why Walmart clinics were so successful was that the communities they chose were underserved with health care access. Even something as simple as a dental cleaning can greatly improve someone’s life in a rural community.
Massive Challenge To Find Primary Care Givers in the U.S.
Mehrotra went on to deliver statistics that up to 55,000 primary care doctors are needed in the next decade to cover residents throughout the country.
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As the population continues to grow in the United States, more health care centers and doctors will be necessary. However, as many communities lack the appropriate resources, someone will need to fill the gap.
Clinic Closures Related to Lack of Profits
Walmart published a press release about the closures this week. Representative said that the company had to make a difficult decision because of lack of profits from the clinics.
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The company cited “challenging reimbursement environment and escalating operating costs.” They also alleged that the business model is simply unsustainable for them to continue operating.
Walmart To Continue Operating Pharmacies
As the pharmacies have been an integral part of Walmart stores for decades, they will continue to operate at a profit.
Source: Mike Mozart/Wikipedia Commons
More than 4,600 pharmacies will remain open around the country. In addition, the company will continue to host over 3,00 vision and optical centers.
Health Care Looked Like a Big Opportunity in 2020
The clinics opened in early 2020 and were most likely in the planning stages well before the Covid-19 crisis landed in the United States.
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Initially, the company was excited to embark on a new venture. Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said in 2020 that he was excited for the big opportunity to expand their business.
Unsure of How Much Clinic Closures Were Related to Pandemic
It’s unclear how much of the closures were related to pandemic related illnesses.
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Walmart surely had no knowledge that such a deadly virus would ravage the American population. Upper respiratory infections are notoriously expensive and difficult to treat. This factor could have contributed to a lack of profits.
Medical Staff Shortage Among Big Issues For the Clinics
A major difficulty that Walmart soon discovered was that medical staff was extremely difficult to retain during a pandemic.
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Even without the added strain of a global virus, doctors in the U.S. are already in short supply due to the difficulty of being accepted into medical school along with the ultra-exclusive matching program that trains each doctor in their specialty.