Published by: Larry Gage on 3/25/2010 4:14:27 PM
I had a chance this week (at the annual meeting of the AAMC Council of Teaching Hospitals) to listen to a presentation by Dr. John Agwunobi, President, Health and Wellness of Walmart. Dr. Agwunobi, a pediatrician who has served as Secretary of Health of the state of Florida and Assistant Secretary for Health in the federal government, said he took the Walmart job after being told that "140 million people a week walk through the doors of a Walmart." He said Walmart's commitment to address the health care needs of this extraordinary customer base -- after an admittedly checkered history of attention to social improvements -- convinced him to take the job. He proceeded to describe a series of innovations introduced by Walmart (along with some of their retail competitors) -- in-store clinics staffed by nurse practitioners, inexpensive diagnostic services, a $4 prescription price for most generic drugs, etc. With respect to prescriptions, Dr. Agwunobi described one woman who used Walmart rather than standing in line at the free clinic where she used to get her prescriptions filled. He said she told him "I stood in line because I couldn't afford $44 -- but I can afford $4." He also described another woman with insurance who came to Walmart rather than pay the $10 copayment her health plan demanded for the same drug. Dr. Agwunobi admitted that these were anecdotes, but there is clearly something going on here that warrant the attention of safety net providers.
And as for those in-store clinics, Dr. Agwunobi said they were all individually sponsored by local hospitals -- and he is looking for new partners. In fact, he even handed out cards. You can reach him at john.agwunobi@wal-mart.com.