Posted on 10/19/2014 5:01:22 PM PDT by Hojczyk
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. pushed down prices for some generic prescription drugs to just $4 eight years ago, setting a new industry standard. Now it is trying to do the same for seeing a doctor.
On Friday, a Walmart Care Clinic opened in Dalton, Ga., six months after Walmart U.S., the retailer’s WMT, +0.38% biggest unit, entered the business of providing primary health care. It now operates a dozen clinics in rural Texas, South Carolina and Georgia and has increased its target for openings this year to 17.
An office visit costs $40, which Walmart U.S. says is about half the industry standard, and just $4 for Walmart U.S. employees and family members with the company’s insurance. A pregnancy test costs just $3, and a cholesterol test $8. A typical retail clinic offers acute care only. But a Walmart Care Clinic also treats chronic conditions such as diabetes. (Walmart U.S. also leases space in its stores to 94 clinics owned by others that set their own pricing.)
“It was very important to us that we establish a retail price in the health-care industry because price leadership matters to us,” said Jennifer LaPerre, a Walmart U.S. senior director responsible for health and wellness, in an interview.
(Excerpt) Read more at marketwatch.com ...
Do they speak English?
In the 1970's I paid $25 cash (no insurance) for an office visit, the other day my son went to the doctor. List price of the office visit $125. His co-pay was $25 and the payment from the insurance company was $12.50, paid in ninety days. So $40 cash at time of visit is not that bad, no filing claim, no waiting for payment.
I like it!
Great news.
Dalton = illegal aliens
$40 is half the industry standard? I think the industry standard for a doctor visit is over $200.
Well, the worst doctor I ever went to was a white graduate of UCLA. Too bad he didn’t give a sh*t about his patients. OTOH, 2 of my last 3 docs were women from Russia, both very good.
My wallyworld charges $15 for a haircut. How is this going to work? Nine months at a hair academy vs. 10 years post graduate is only worth $25?
Thanks! American Exceptionalism will be restored when unions are crushed and the minimum wage are abolished. When that happens, Red China will again be reduced to an insignificant third world backwater and America’s economy will be the envy of the world.
Speaking English?
Probably not, it will probably be like the VA hospitals.
My baby sister is a Nurse practitioner going on 25 years. She knows more than most doctors.
Who would you rather see? A first or second year resident, or my sister?
Not trying to appear rude but my sister is tops in her field. She's caught more than several misdiagnoses.
I have always had outstanding care from nurse practitioners.
I have no problem with that, whether populated with nurse practitioners and whether populated with foreign nurse practitioners. I believe that reasonably skilled nurse pracs can do about 35% of what doctors can do. I think genuine RNs can do 2/3rd of what doctors can do.
If these types of things can relive 35% of the drop-in rate to hospital emergency rooms it would save many tens of billions of dollars a year. Would it affect the high cost of medical insurance? No. There are lots of things it will not be able to do, but IMO, small neighborhood clinics are going to be an important element in our healthcare future. Especially if the floodgates of illegal immigrants are opened wide. But even if they are not, I consider these types of efforts valid. As long as they are not government controlled, ANY effort outside government apportioned healthcare is valid, as far as I am concerned.
WM will clean up with that offer. $40 is about what it should cost, not $125 or more that most doctors must charge.
>> What’s wrong with that?
Nothing especially if they can authorize blood tests.
I was treated by foreign doctor(rather poorly I might say) in the ER of a small town hospital waaaaay back in 1974!!!
The US govt has been importing third world workers of all types in preference to giving American-born those same college deals for decades
You took that as an insult? I was saying that nurse practitioners are BETTER than seeing most third-world physicians... Believe me, the V.A. has plenty of nurse practitioners, so I’ve been seen by one before.
No. I just didn’t want you to take it as an insult. We’re good.
You are always so timely, 2DV. Just so happens that Mrs PubliusMM has been a bit under the weather for the past few days. She told me to take her the Walmart clinic on Saturday AM. Truth be told, I didn’t have a clue there was such a thing. Turns out it’s operated and staffed by the local hospital group (we only have one...) and features Nurse Practitioners.
Bottom line: In and out in less than a half hour; two blood tests, good screening interaction with the NP, good counseling on Rx, even found a generic substitute antibiotic that is non-sulfa based. Total cost: $68 plus $20 for a seven day supply of antibiotic (that was waiting at the pharmacy when we got down there).
All in all...Mrs. PubliusMM rated it an 8 out of 10.
From what I can find, this is in-line with what Medicare pay for a basic office visit, around $38, PLUS your co-pay.
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