Sam’s Club enters telehealth market
A leading warehouse club chain is the latest retailer to offer telehealth services to its customers.
Sam’s Club is collaborating with virtual primary care provider 98point6 to provide its members exclusive offerings on 98point6’s telehealth virtual clinic via a text-based app. Through this collaboration, Sam’s Club customers with either a Club or a Plus membership can purchase a quarterly subscription at a members-only introductory fee of $20 for the first three months per participant, compared to 98point6’s regular sign-up fee of $30 per participant.
The subscription includes visits for $1, with unlimited use, and access to U.S. board-certified doctors 24 hours a day and seven days a week. After the first three months, members will pay $33.50 every three months per participant.
In the past several months, other retail chains including Loblaw, Sam’s Club parent Walmart, CVS, and Walgreens have launched or expanded customer-facing telehealth programs.
Another unique benefit to Sam’s Club members is the ability to purchase quarterly subscriptions instead of just having a yearly option provided by 98point6. Members will also have access to pediatric care for additional subscribed family members ages 1 and up through the 98point6 app.
“Offering access to telemedicine was on our roadmap in the pre-COVID world, but the current environment expedited the need for this service to be easily accessible, readily available and most of all, affordable,” said John McDowell, VP, pharmacy operations and divisional merchandise, Sam’s Club. “Through providing access to the 98point6 app in a pilot, we quickly realized that our members were eager to have mobile telehealth options and we wanted to provide this healthcare solution to all of our members as a standalone option.”
The subscription to the 98point6 app provides access to physicians to diagnose and treat more than 400 common conditions like rash, cough and cold, flu-like symptoms and seasonal allergies, as well as provide care, guidance, and monitoring of chronic conditions like diabetes, asthma, heart disease, depression, and anxiety. Sam’s Club members using the 98point6 app can also get necessary prescriptions or labs ordered.
Sam’s Club, a division of Walmart Inc., operates nearly 600 clubs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.