According to a Sept. 27 press release, Bentonville, Ark.-headquartered Walmart announced its partnership with the Verona, Wis.-based Epic Systems Corporation to use its electronic health records across its healthcare services—including virtual care.
The release states that “Through this single, unified system, Walmart Health will engage patients, healthcare professionals, insurance carriers, and other stakeholders while enhancing communication, personalization, and information sharing amongst healthcare professionals and patients utilizing a patient portal. Epic’s platform will support all of Walmart’s health and wellness lines of businesses as it is rolled out and will first be implemented in four new Walmart Health Centers opening in Florida in early 2022.”
Alan Hutchison, vice president of population health at Epic is quoted in the release saying that “Across medical, dental, and virtual care, patients will have a unified experience—both within Walmart Health clinics and as they move across the nation’s healthcare ecosystem. Providers will have new ways to collaborate with patients, payers, and each other more effectively, so they can work cooperatively to manage a patient’s care journey.”
Epic is used by more than 2,000 hospitals and 45,000 clinics and to date, the majority of the U.S. population has their medical records in an Epic system.
Cheryl Pegus, M.D., executive vice president of Walmart Health & Wellness, is quoted in the release saying that “The Epic system complements our omnichannel healthcare offerings—letting customers and healthcare professionals access care and health records to lead to more personalized care.”
Walmart’s new partnership with Epic is another indication of the company elevating its healthcare business. Walmart Health began its journey by opening its first center in Dallas, Ga. in 2019. Also in 2019, Walmart began offering medical and behavioral health visits through telehealth provider, Doctor on Demand. Last year, the virtual care program expanded, offering associates $4 virtual care visits through the company’s partnership with Doctor on Demand, to employees in Colorado, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. In May, Walmart announced its acquisition of MeMD, a multispecialty telehealth provider.
