The 800 pound gorilla has now decided they will dominate primary care.
The 800 pound gorilla has now decided they will dominate primary care. Walmart says they are going to “become the largest provider of healthcare services in the nation.”
Don’t even act like you are surprised. This was inevitable. If we in the healthcare industry could not reduce costs and and improve service, then Walmart will seize the opportunity.
My company, THE HEAVYWEIGHTS, was working with consumer packaged goods companies back when Walmart said the same thing about dominating the grocery business. Within three years, they controlled the grocery industry and sold over a third of all groceries in the US. Within ten years, they had over half of the market. They simply made the decision to dominate the largest retail segment possible (besides healthcare), and within three years they had control of the grocery segment.
Now they’re saying they will do the same with primary care.
And I believe them.
Walmart is unstoppable.
If you’re a healthcare marketer, now is the time to get focused. The reality is, while you can’t change what Walmart does, you can change what your hospital does.
Believe me, we are going to have to come up with strategies that will allow us to benefit from this change in the market.
If you try to fight change, you’ll lose. To win, you must adapt.