We know that there are a lot of companies around the world, especially in the US, that have started providing telehealth consultations for its employees with the help of some sort of partnership with a telehealth company. Recently, we reported that Costco has started providing telehealth services for its employees as well as customers for as little as $19 fee which is excellent to promote telehealth as well as make people understand its benefits. Now, Walmart is also recommending telehealth visits for its employees and have issued a statement on the same.
“Against national primary and mental healthcare shortages and persistent healthcare price growth, Walmart has tested the role Virtual Primary Care can play in addressing some of our country’s most significant healthcare challenges,” said Owen Tripp, CEO and Co-Founder, Included Health. “Walmart’s early vision for primary care at people’s fingertips, no matter where they live, to improve health outcomes and reduce costs has been validated. Today, armed with compelling evidence, we are proud to support their pioneering move to bring no-copay Virtual Primary Care to their associates and their families across the country.”
Walmart also added in their statement that “Since launching Virtual Primary Care in January 2020 with Included Health, the company has successfully engaged its associates and their loved ones3 in preventive care, chronic care management, and mental health support as part of a virtual model. Walmart’s Virtual Primary Care initiative has not only closed care access gaps in geographies linked to high emergency room use and low primary care use, but has also reduced healthcare costs as demonstrated by reduced measures across total cost of care, hospital readmissions, and in-patient expenses.
Results from Walmart’s multi-year, multi-state pilot include:
- Virtual care patients saw an 11% reduction in total cost of care
- About 30% of virtual care patients were seen for a chronic condition or preventative care
- Those with diabetes who used the virtual primary care option saw a 24% average reduction in HbA1c levels
- Patients with hypertension experienced a 14% reduction in blood pressure
- After being seen as part of the virtual primary care service, only ~10% of Walmart’s participants then went on to an in-person care setting
