Walmart to Open 4,000 Healthcare ‘Supercenters’ by 2029 That Include ‘Comprehensive’ Clinical Laboratory Services

With the majority of Americans living just a few miles from a Walmart, how might independent clinical laboratories compete? Retail giant Walmart (NYSE:WMT) plans to install 4,000 primary care “supercenters” in stores by 2029 that will include clinical laboratory testing services. This is on top of the dozens of Walmart Health locations already in operation in Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, Illinois, and Texas. Clinical laboratories already have growing competition in the healthcare marketplace...

Kaiser Permanente Announces that Virtual Visits with Providers Have Surpassed Face-to-Face Appointments at Meeting of Nashville Health Care Council Members

Should this milestone be an indicator that more patients are willing to use telehealth to interact with providers, then clinical laboratories and pathology groups will need to respond with new ways to collect specimens and report results Telehealth is gaining momentum at Kaiser Permanente (KP). Public statements by Kaiser administrators indicate that the number of virtual visits (AKA, telemedicine) with providers now is about equal to face-to-face visits with providers. This trend has many...

Cleveland Clinic Gives Patients Statewide 24/7 Access to Physicians through Smartphones, iPads, Tablets and Online: Will Telemedicine Also Involve Pathologists?

New service allows patients statewide to access urgent care via telephones and other devices as Cleveland Clinic positions itself to be a 24/7 provider of choice Urgent care by telephone is the latest patient-centric and customer-friendly medical service to be offered by the Cleveland Clinic. It is also the first 24-hour online statewide healthcare service of its kind in Ohio, a milestone that has implications for pathologists and clinical laboratory executives because lab testing is often...

CMS Issues New Telemedicine Guidelines and Approves Seven New Procedures in Move to Further Encourage Telehealth Initiatives

As the Medicare program expands telemedicine services, the opportunity may arise for sub-specialist pathologists to offer consultation services across state lines More use of telemedicine across state borders has long been predicted as a way to improve access to care—particularly for patients in rural areas—as well as to give physicians and patients access to talented sub-specialists. Within the anatomic pathology profession, however, there are probably as many pathologists who view...
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