Reader Consult: Would You Get Medical Care at Walmart?

Walmart wants to make a big push into primary health care — or does it?

As NPR and Kaiser Health News report, the retailing behemoth has sent out a 14-page request for information seeking vendors to help it become the “largest provider of primary healthcare services” in the U.S. That, Walmart says in its request, will expand access to health care while lowering costs — while “maintaining or improving outcomes.”

The WSJ reports that a Walmart spokesman confirmed the proposal is authentic but “preliminary.” And a statement from John Agwunobi, senior vice president and president of Walmart U.S. Health & Wellness, says the RFI is “overwritten and incorrect. We are not building a national, integrated, low-cost primary care health care platform.”

Walmart’s RFI said it’s interested in offering services including managing and monitoring chronic conditions including diabetes, asthma and HIV infection, as well as offering diagnostic services like allergy testing, PSA testing and pregnancy testing. It also asked vendors about providing preventive services like vaccines, health and wellness programs such as weight management, and some acute care exams.

Readers, would you be interested in getting those types of services at Walmart?

Image: Bloomberg News