Walmart Inc. said on Tuesday that it’s trying out a program that will allow pharmacists to test customers for strep throat, flu and covid, and then treat them as well.
The program called Testing and Treatment is now available at all Walmart pharmacies in 12 states including Arkansas. The other states are Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota, Tennessee and Washington.
A visit costs about $133, depending on the services provided. For now, the pharmacies can only accept cash, but they do plan to accept third-party insurance in the future. They’ll accept payments from health savings accounts, and some prescriptions may be covered by insurance.
Customers can make an appointment at the pharmacy, on Walmart’s website or in the Walmart app.
“We think expanding the scope of our pharmacists’ practice matters now — and will continue to well into the future,” said Kevin Host, senior vice president of Walmart Health & Wellness, Pharmacy.
Walmart cited research by the Association of American Medical Colleges that projects a shortage of nearly 48,000 primary care physicians by 2034.