Only a handful of retailers have a truly national footprint. Walmart, which boasts that 90% of Americans live within 10 miles of one of its stores stands as one of those chains.
In the retail space, really only Dollar General has a similar reach and its smaller stores limit what that chain can offer. The discount chain, which has over 19,000 locations in 48 states has been adding to its fresh food offering, but Dollar General does not have the massive stores that Walmart can leverage into new business areas.
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Walmart has experimented with everything from fast-food chains to music lessons in its stores. The chain has also been increasing its health screening services which puts it in direct competition with CVS and Walgreens which are both, at least in some locations, trying to become more of a one-stop-shop for healthcare.
The chain wants to leverage its omnichannel capabilities to "produce a flywheel effect which creates relationships where customers view Walmart as their primary destination," the company shared in its annual report.
Offering expanded healthcare services is a key part of that effort. In addition to its pharmacies, Walmart also offers dental, vision, mental health, and other healthcare services at many of its stores.
The chain has also been growing its partnership with Radnet to offer women a key healthcare service.
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Walmart wants to expand access to healthcare
The Walmart and Radnet partnership will bring mammogram technology to more Walmart Health locations in 2024. The two companies first partnered last year in a single location.
"This pioneering initiative aims to enhance breast health awareness and accessibility, including the integration of cutting-edge DeepHealth technology, into the Walmart Supercenter environment, providing women with convenient access to crucial breast cancer screening services," Radnet said in a news release.
This partnership should, in theory, benefit Walmart and bring crucial healthcare to areas where women may have struggled to access it. That literally could be the difference between life and death.
"When breast cancer is detected early, and is in the localized stage, the 5-year relative survival rate is 99%," according to the American Cancer Society. "Early detection includes doing monthly breast self-exams, and scheduling regular clinical breast exams and mammograms."
Walmart increases access to healthcare
RadNet and Walmart have partnered to make breast health screenings more accessible, encouraging proactive, community-based health care. As part of the pilot, RadNet will actively promote breast health education and awareness initiatives.
It's a partnership that Global Data Managing Director Neil Saunders sees as a positive for Walmart and its customers.
"Anything that improves availability and access to this kind of health testing and examination is a very good thing. As long as the examination area is private and properly appointed, I do not see customers being deterred," he commented on a RetailWire story.
The very experienced retail executive also explained why Walmart is making this move and noted that it's not purely about increasing access to healthcare.
"On the wider question of healthcare and wellness, many retailers want to get into this area because of the lucrative returns and high growth potential. The problem is the barriers to entry are high and the healthcare space has a lot of vested interests and complexity which can be hard to break down. Even Amazon struggles to disrupt an industry that is ripe for disruption," he added.
Carol Spieckerman, a distinguished retail consultant, also shared her insight on Walmart's healthcare efforts.
"Walmart’s aggressive healthcare ambitions are no secret. The mammogram move aligns perfectly with Walmart’s intention to own regular visits (be they groceries or health). Walmart’s health clinics aren’t janky places. The ones I’ve checked out are clean, well-designed, welcoming, and staffed with helpful practitioners," she wrote.
Radnet currently performs about 5% of all mammograms conducted in the U.S.
