Dive Brief:
- Walmart is adding to its moves in the healthcare space with plans to start offering healthcare lab testing services over its website through an expanded partnership with Quest Diagnostics.
- Customers can initiate requests and purchase tests for digestive and heart health, allergies, infectious diseases and other areas, with more than 50 tests available, according to a press release issued by Quest Diagnostics. The requests are reviewed, and ordered by physicians when deemed appropriate.
- Once purchased, customers can make appointments at Quests service locations as well as select Walmart stores.
Dive Insight:
Walmart has long housed pharmacies and other health services like optometry centers to enhance its convenience offering as a one-stop shop. In recent years, it has deepened and expanded its ambitions in healthcare.
In 2019 the company began piloting a healthcare concept, Walmart Health, aimed at providing low-price health services for local customers. The retailer has since worked to expand the concept to additional markets.
Walmart Health's offering includes medical and dental services along with some lab diagnostic services, hearing tests, X-ray imaging, immunization and wellness classes, among others.
Walmart also moved into the market for Medicare insurance brokerage in 2020, making itself a threat to incumbent insurers. That came after the retailer was said to be in early talks to acquire the health insurance company Humana, though no deal emerged.
Through its pharmacies, Walmart also carved out a role for itself in the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The partnership with Quest is yet another way for the retailer to expand its reach in healthcare services and test the extent to which its customers see it as a healthcare destination — including online — along with all of the other goods and services the giant offers.
