LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Included Health, a new kind of healthcare company delivering integrated care and navigation for millions of people nationwide, today with Walmart shared results from Walmart’s multi-year, multi-state Virtual Primary Care deployment.
At a time when healthcare costs are rising at the highest rates in a decade2 and too many Americans grapple with access to primary and mental healthcare, Walmart has shown the effectiveness of virtual primary care to improve care access and reduce costs.
“Against national primary and mental healthcare shortages and persistent healthcare price growth, Walmart has tested the role Virtual Primary Care can play in addressing some of our country’s most significant healthcare challenges,” said Owen Tripp, CEO and Co-Founder, Included Health. “Walmart's early vision for primary care at people’s fingertips, no matter where they live, to improve health outcomes and reduce costs has been validated. Today, armed with compelling evidence, we are proud to support their pioneering move to bring no-copay Virtual Primary Care to their associates and their families across the country.”
Since launching Virtual Primary Care in January 2020 with Included Health, the company has successfully engaged its associates and their loved ones3 in preventive care, chronic care management, and mental health support as part of a virtual model. Walmart’s Virtual Primary Care initiative has not only closed care access gaps in geographies linked to high emergency room use and low primary care use, but has also reduced healthcare costs as demonstrated by reduced measures across total cost of care, hospital readmissions, and in-patient expenses. Results from Walmart’s multi-year, multi-state pilot include:
- Virtual care patients saw an 11% reduction in total cost of care
- About 30% of virtual care patients were seen for a chronic condition or preventative care
- Those with diabetes who used the virtual primary care option saw a 24% average reduction in HbA1c levels
- Patients with hypertension experienced a 14% reduction in blood pressure
- After being seen as part of the virtual primary care service, only ~10% of Walmart’s participants then went on4 to an in-person care setting
To see more on Walmart’s innovative virtual care journey visit: https://corporate.walmart.com/content/corporate/en_us/news.html. To learn about Included Health’s Virtual Primary Care solution visit: https://includedhealth.com/primary-care/ https://www.hlth.com/2023event/agenda.
About Included Health
Included Health is a new kind of healthcare company. We combine people and technology to guide and deliver care differently. Working with employers and health plans nationwide, we provide millions of people with a healthcare experience that is more personalized, accessible, equitable, affordable, and cohesive. With us, it’s all included; care and support online, around the corner, and in the home for everyday and urgent needs including primary, specialty, and behavioral healthcare. Our model is designed to treat people better. Learn more at includedhealth.com.
1 *Does not include Hawaii. Associates and their covered dependents must be enrolled in one of the medical plans. Associates with HMOs & PPO Plans are not eligible for this benefit.
2 https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/health-insurance-cost-increase-5b35ead7
3 Eligible Walmart associates and their dependents enrolled in Walmart’s healthcare benefits program as part of the Virtual Primary Care deployment
4 within 21 days
