When Walmart founder Sam Walton declared the retailer’s healthcare ambitions in 1991, he had harsh words for hospitals.
“We’ve got to get the hospitals and doctors in line,” he told a Walmart leadership meeting at the time. “They’re charging five and six times what they ought to charge us.
“We need to work on a program where we’ve got hospitals and doctors and workman’s comp and pharmacies … saving our customers money and our employees money.”
More than 30 years after his death, Walton may finally be getting his wish, Becker’s reports.
Walmart named its first health system partner Nov. 1. Orlando (Fla.) Health will work with the retailer on care coordination for patients at Walmart’s eight healthcare centers in the Orlando area. Walmart Health has nearly 50 locations providing primary, behavioral and dental care across five states.
Other health system leaders said they too view Walmart more as a potential collaborator than a competitor. Read more.
