Add electronic medical records to the wares giant retailer Wal-Mart plans to offer soon. Wal-Mart executives announced last month they would have EMRs available for sale by spring.
By partnering its Sam's Club division with Dell and eClinicalWorks, the high-volume retailer will offer EMRs for less than $25,000 for the first physician in a practice and $10,000 for each additional doctor.
The announcement came weeks after President Obama signed an economic stimulus package that includes $19 billion to spur adoption of healthcare IT. But Wal-Mart executives told The New York Times, Wal-Mart has long explored healthcare IT opportunities.
The Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer has shown itself to be a broad supporter of healthcare information technology over the last few years. In April 2007 Wal-Mart officials said it would partner with the University of Arkansas and Blue Cross Blue Shield to conduct research on how to advance healthcare IT in the United States.
The company said it would pledge $1 million over five years to fund a new Center for Innovation in Health Care Logistics at the University of Arkansas.
In September 2008 Wal-Mart officials said the company would provide associates and their families with access to electronic health records powered by Dossia.
In February 2008, Wal-Mart opened co-branded clinics that operate on a common EMR Web-based platform from Westborough, Mass.-based eClinicalWorks. About 25,000 physicians who work in small practices and clinics around the country use eClinicalWorks technology.
