Carrollton, TX – The neighborhood drug store is evolving to offer a lot more than flu shots, but it’s not just the corner market who is betting on healthcare convenience. Joining companies like CVS, Walgreens and Kroger, Walmart opened its doors to a primary care clinic in a Carrollton, Texas store last week, with plans to extend their program by the end of the year.
Other than claiming the title of the world’s largest waiting room, Walmart is hoping to deliver primary medical care and management of chronic disease states. The move comes as aging Americans in rural communities are finding limited access to primary care due to a growing number of practices moving to urban areas. Walmart is known as the rural, blue-collar, “Save Money. Live Better.”megastore so the move just made sense.
This type of care is making its way to many retail stores throughout the U.S. as well as in the form of mobile kiosks in malls, grocery stores and gyms. Higi, a mobile connected health kiosk, plans to roll out 4,100 units in Rite Aid stores during Q4 2014 and Q1 2015. Walgreens has already introduced its health clinic and now attributes over 40% of its refill prescriptions from their mobile app. Kroger’s Little Clinic has partnered with surrounding hospitals and offers an integrated medical record exchange program to better diagnose and treat patients.
Walmart’s initiative to be your primary medical provider is a whole new take on easy-access healthcare. Now you can check out the latest video games, stock up on groceries and buy a new set of tires all while you wait for your latest checkup.
Posted By: Mike Martins
Photo: Niloo / Shutterstock.com
About the Author:
As Managing Director of Innovation and Insights for Syneos Health Communications, Leigh is responsible for building and scaling a global team of healthcare experts who together help life science leaders better understand the complex lives, influences and expectations of their customers. Specifically, they uncover actionable insights that fuel empathy and creativity; lead co-creation events that let marketers learn from peers, trends, and new possibilities; and help clients identify the most valuable and useful new customer experiences to create.
Leigh has worked with Fortune 1000 companies to craft their digital, mobile, social and CRM strategies for nearly 20 years.She’s worked for category-leading agencies in retail, public affairs, B2B technology, and higher education. Prior to moving to Syneos Health Communications, she held several leadership roles at our largest agency, GSW. There, she founded an innovation practice fueled by the zeitgeist and spearheaded digital and innovation thinking across the business.
Leigh has taken a special interest in complex healthcare products that can change lives in meaningful ways. She was recently a strategic lead on the 3rd largest launch in pharmaceutical history: Tecfidera. Before that she had keys roles with Eli Lilly Oncology, Abbott Nutrition, Amgen Cardiovascular, and Eli Lilly Diabetes.
A critical part of Leigh’s work is trends and new ideas. Every year, she convenes a group of trend watchers from across our global network to identify the shifts most critical to healthcare marketers. This year, she led over 250 experts to experts to focus on the most important changes in the commercial, consumer, marketing, digital and healthcare landscapes. (See reports at trends.health)
Leigh is a sought-after writer and speaker. Recognized as one of the most inspiring people in the pharmaceutical industry by PharmaVoice and Top 10 Innovation Catalysts of 2017 by MM&M, Leigh also was recognized as a Rising Star by the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) for her overt passion, industry thought leadership and significant contributions in new business, strategy and mentoring.
