Walmart has announced a partnership with health records platform Epic to create a portal through which Walmart Health members, healthcare professionals, insurance carriers and others can access patients’ medical records and history.
Epic plans to roll out its Walmart Health portal at four new Walmart Health Centers in Florida early next year before expanding the initiative, according to the announcement.
“Our vision to provide best in class healthcare, anywhere, anytime includes a seamless experience for our customers, healthcare professional partners and associates,” said Dr. Cheryl Pegus, executive vice president for Walmart Health & Wellness.
“Leveraging best in class partners like Epic and their technology platform will assist us in providing a unified health record across care settings, geographies and multiple sources of health data,” she said. “The Epic system complements our omnichannel healthcare offerings — letting customers and healthcare professionals access care and health records to lead to more personalized care.”
More than 2,000 hospitals and 45,000 clinics rely on Epic for their patient records maintenance. The portal allows patients to securely access their health records, ask questions of their providers, schedule appointments and pay bills on their mobile devices or laptops.
“We’re excited to power Walmart’s vision to bring comprehensive, accessible healthcare to patients across the country,” said Alan Hutchison, vice president of population health at Epic, in the announcement.
“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,” he added. “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.”
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Walmart still leads Amazon in sales of health and personal care products, although Walmart’s share of the market has barely moved from quarter to quarter since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Walmart rolled out a private brand of insulin and acquired telehealth provider MeMD this summer. The company first opened in-store health clinics in 2019, and CEO Doug McMillon told analysts last month that he hopes the retailer can play a role in connecting consumers with healthcare around the world.
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