USA Today writes about how Walmart's new Health Center - being tested in Dallas, Georgia - is different from the other instore health clinics opened by retailers.
"Walmart says its Walmart Health center in Dallas, Georgia, goes further and is the first of its kind to put all of the following services under one roof, outside of a hospital or dedicated medical facility: Primary care … Urgent care … Lab testing … X-rays and X-ray diagnostics … EKG tests … Counseling … Dental care … Optical care … Hearing services."
The story says that "the ability to take care of all these health needs under one convenient blue roof and pick up supplies you might need while feeling poorly -- like tissues, over-the-counter medicine and bandages -- sounds appealing. And current in-store quick care facilities don't have the capability to do blood tests or labs in-house. The redesigned store in Dallas, Georgia, also offers a pet-care clinic."
USA Today goes on: "While Walmart hasn't announced specific plans to offer specialized medical services, changes to its employee health network could find their way to the consumer side if they prove effective. The company is testing out programs that utilize 'data and proven results' to connect patients with specialists. Additionally, it is testing a 'personal health care assistant,' which works as a concierge that simplifies health care logistics including scheduling and billing and also helps patients with things like understanding a diagnosis."
"Walmart says its Walmart Health center in Dallas, Georgia, goes further and is the first of its kind to put all of the following services under one roof, outside of a hospital or dedicated medical facility: Primary care … Urgent care … Lab testing … X-rays and X-ray diagnostics … EKG tests … Counseling … Dental care … Optical care … Hearing services."
The story says that "the ability to take care of all these health needs under one convenient blue roof and pick up supplies you might need while feeling poorly -- like tissues, over-the-counter medicine and bandages -- sounds appealing. And current in-store quick care facilities don't have the capability to do blood tests or labs in-house. The redesigned store in Dallas, Georgia, also offers a pet-care clinic."
USA Today goes on: "While Walmart hasn't announced specific plans to offer specialized medical services, changes to its employee health network could find their way to the consumer side if they prove effective. The company is testing out programs that utilize 'data and proven results' to connect patients with specialists. Additionally, it is testing a 'personal health care assistant,' which works as a concierge that simplifies health care logistics including scheduling and billing and also helps patients with things like understanding a diagnosis."
- KC's View:
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A core tenet around here long has been that retailers can be most successful when they go beyond just being a source of product and evolve into being a resource for shoppers. At the same time, it has become a truism that the nation's health care systems are lacking … and that government seems incapable of fixing it and making it both more affordable and accessible.
It simply makes sense that companies like Walmart will see the confluence of these two realities, and identify opportunities that can simultaneously be good for the company's growth as well as for the well-being of their customers. It is from such efforts that enduring relationships can be formed.
