Walmart is emerging as a leader in providing routine healthcare to the U.S. population. Primary care clinics within supermarkets are well established. These compete with similar kiosk operations operated by CVS Health and Walgreens among others. The initial phase of COVID-19 vaccination has probably accelerated the move to commercialized and depersonalized medicine.
It remains to be seen whether a retail company can capitalize on low-hanging fruit, leaving the established medical infrastructure to carry the burden of treating serious acute and chronic conditions and providing a standard of service consistent with scientific progress. Diverting patients and revenue from hospitals and group practices will weaken the core of our systems providing medical services.
The move to “supermarket medicine” will reduce opportunities to train our future physicians and specialists. Weakening the hospital system will provide fewer opportunities for clinical research and progress in treatment will be constrained. Our current system is less than perfect but it is better than socialized medicine as offered by other nations. We should honestly recognize the deficiencies that exist and make changes to eliminate discrepancies in service and opportunities between rich and poor.
As with many aspects of our life Medicine is too important to be politicized. Let us hope that we find solutions to our problems and as with most challenges, face them with a sense of purpose to resolve deficiencies.
There are far too many uninsured in our nation and we are failing to provide preventive health counseling, vaccinations and activities that contribute to a healthy nation. For-profit clinics are not the answer although they may contribute to overcrowding of ER rooms during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and may have a role in developing a new model to accommodate the underserved.