KFF Health News October 3, 2019
Worried its employees aren’t getting good enough care from doctors in their insurance networks, Walmart next year will test pointing workers in northwestern Arkansas, central Florida and the Dallas-Fort Worth area toward physicians it has found provide better service.
If the employees use these “featured providers,” they will pay less out of pocket, Walmart officials said Thursday.
Walmart is working with Embold Health of Nashville, a recent startup company that uses data to analyze whether doctors provide “appropriate, effective and cost-efficient care.” Embold CEO Daniel Stein was a Walmart executive from 2013 to 2017.
“Rather than relying on word of mouth or social media to find a provider, patients can get information based on actual data and proven results,” said...