Assignment 3: Case - Walmart Health Scaling during a Pandemic

Assignment 3: Case - Walmart Health Scaling during a Pandemic

Due by Sunday, midnight of Week 9 (Weight: 25%)

 

Overview

 

For this assignment, you will read and analyze a case study which presents a new approach to health care delivery, pioneered by Walmart, and describes how the growth of their new service was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Marcus Osborne, Vice President for Health and Wellness Transformation at Walmart, was leading the team managing implementation of the new Walmart Health business model.

He was also closely involved in the company’s response to the pandemic, not least because Walmart Health was now tasked with offering COVID-19 testing in a safe and effective manner.

 

In your paper, you will analyze the challenges facing the Walmart Health team, as they worked to design and roll out their new service offering, in the context of a global pandemic and an economic recession. You will also examine how Walmart’s service model was impacted by the history of the company and by the changing regulatory environment. While the case study itself is your key resource, you are expected to put it in context by referring to course materials and your own research on the topics in the case study.

 

Instructions

 

Write a 5-to-7-page paper that analyzes the Walmart Health case. Use the headings below to create sections in your paper. Use the questions and prompts to cover all the relevant content for each section.

 

Introduction

•            Briefly describe the history of Walmart’s involvement in health services from 2008 to 2013.

 

I.            Innovating through the Bureaucracy

?            Identify TWO new risk and compliance issues that Walmart faced, when they expanded beyond pharmacy services into retail health clinics?

 

?            Did changes to Medicaid after passage of the ACA impact the decision on where to locate the first Walmart Care Clinics in 2014? If so, how?

 

?            Describe ONE new approach to health service delivery tested out by Walmart between 2014 and 2018? Was it successful? Why or why not?

 

II.           The Walmart Health Model and Lessons Learned

 

?            How did access to community health workers at the first Walmart Health clinic, opened in 2019, help to attract clients? Why did this result surprise the team?

 

 

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?            After opening a second Walmart Health clinic in 2020, why did Walmart consider replacing the fee-for-service model of payment for care with a subscription model?

 

?            In the light of the current state of the health care market, which of the two reimbursement models do you think Walmart Health should select? Why?

 

III.          Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

•            Summarize the changes made by U.S. regulators in the three areas below, due to the COVID-19 crisis:

a.           use of telemedicine

b.           licensing of physicians

c.           supervision requirements for nurse practitioners and physician assistants

 

•            How has ONE of these three regulatory changes affected the options open to Osborne and his team about future development of the Walmart Health model?

 

•            In your view, can Walmart successfully integrate telemedicine into its healthcare clinic model? What are the pros and cons of this option for Walmart?

 

IV.          Learn Today, Apply Tomorrow

•            What do you predict will change for the Walmart Health initiative, as more people get vaccinated and the economy opens up? How should they adapt to these changes?

 

•            Pick ONE of the two options below:

o            If you work in a healthcare organization, describe one applicable lesson learned from the case study that could benefit your organization.

 

o            If you do not work in a healthcare organization, describe one applicable lesson learned from the case study that could benefit the healthcare sector in your state or country.

 

 

Formatting

 

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

•            Typed, double-spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 10-12), with one-inch margins on all sides.

•            Include a Cover page containing the assignment title, student’s name, professor’s name, course title, and date.

•            Citations and references must follow the formatting instructions found in the JWMI Writing Standards Guide. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

 

Note: The Cover and References pages are not included in the required page length.