Healthcare's attempts to "meet patients where they are"
For a long time now, healthcare has been trying to meet patients where they are, instead of forcing them to avail of the care they need at a facility such as a hospital or a clinic. Retail giants and pharmacies have repeatedly tried in-store clinics, only to retreat. Walmart opened its first Walmart Health centers in 2019 and planned 4,000 clinics by 2029, but by 2024 closed all 51 clinics and shuttered its virtual health unit, blaming rising costs and low reimbursements. Walgreens poured billions into its VillageMD primary care chain, but after patient volumes lagged it announced it would close 160 VillageMD locations in 2024. CVS, which operates over 1,100 MinuteClinics, quietly cut dozens of its retail clinics (in California and New England) around the same time. Best Buy Health launched remote-monitoring services (acquiring Current Health in 2021) but then sold Current Health in 2025 and took a $109 million charge on its health division amid restructuring. These instances make it c...