It is well documented that access to primary health care is an important factor in patient health, particularly for those with chronic conditions that require management and monitoring. The proactive measures that primary care providers can take to address patients health issues can make the difference between a trip to the pharmacy and a trip to the emergency room. In that balance hangs significant costs whether in terms of dollars or well-being. Expanding the options for access to such care, then, can only be a positive move for patients and communities particularly those where primary care resources are strained.
Wal-Marts pursuit of a partnership to help it become the largest provider of primary healthcare services in the nation, according to its request for information from potential partners, recognizes the demand for such services and answers it in a way that can ease the burden of both procuring primary care, and providing it. The possibility for patients dealing with chronic conditions such as diabetes, HIV/AIDS, hypertension or arthritis to be treated with relative ease and expediency at a local retail outlet raises the likelihood that individuals who might not otherwise seek regular care will become proactive in doing so.
Primary care in Southwest Colorado is in short supply, as demand outstrips the number of doctors and medical professionals available to meet it. Adding an option that offers patients access to doctors or midlevel professionals that can diagnose and treat non-emergent or urgent conditions can help alleviate pressure on emergency rooms where those without primary care often turn for treatment of low-level maladies at a much higher cost than primary care would elicit.
Wal-Mart is not new to the business of offering health services, but its decision to pursue expanding the effort, with the stated goal of dramatically lower(ing) the cost of healthcare while maintaining or improving outcomes, suggests that there is a demand for the services. If meeting that demand also helps reduce the cost of health care, system-wide, then all the better.
Wal-Marts latest endeavor could well be one that plays to its strengths in taking advantage of economies of scale. The retail giant can negotiate a partnership akin to its bargain basement prescription drug offerings that leverages its unmatched purchasing power to attain goods and services that smaller entities could not afford.
Keeping that scale in check against the value of personalized care, though, will be a balance necessary to the efforts success. Critics rightly tout the value of doctor-patient relationships, wherein a providers knowledge of an individuals medical history plays an essential role in treatment as well as preventative efforts. That relationship can be more an ideal than a reality, though, in communities where primary care providers are maxed out on their patient load. In such instances, access to any primary care is better than none. It is certainly worth exploring, and as Wal-Mart considers plans submitted by potential partners, it will benefit the retailer to look closely at medically underserved communities whether they be officially designated as such, or are underserved in all but federal status. If clinics open in those communities, there is much good they can do for patients seeking chronic, preventative, or simple diagnostic care, for doctors and other providers seeking a relief valve in demand for care, and for emergency rooms crowded with non-emergent conditions. If Wal-Mart can make such a venture viable, then it is a win for all involved.
