As the world faces the headwinds of a recession, businesses around the world are looking for new ways to create value for their customers, increase revenue, and monetize their services. Healthcare, in particular, is at an enigmatic crossroads. With costs skyrocketing, margins thin and staffing scarcity acute, the demand for better care delivery and outcomes has never been higher.
With these factors in mind, organizations are changing their approach to healthcare delivery and triaging which issues should be addressed first. However, the industry is arguably aware that there will continue to be a very real demand for quality healthcare services.
It looks like Dollar General sees a promising opportunity. The company, which has historically focused on retail, last week announced a partnership with DocGo, a leading provider of mobile medical services, to enable basic medical services. A relatively new service, DocGo boasts a number of factors, including trained providers, a robust transportation and logistics network, and an advanced data and AI platform. It also sells its ability to meet the “last mile,” placing providers to provide on-site care where patients need to travel to a physical clinic.
Dollar General, which is pursuing this partnership as part of its Wellbeing initiative, describes the new platform as a “quick and easy way to check your health outside of the store.” Services include preventative care such as physical examinations and routine check-ups, as well as management of chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma and hypertension management.
VALLEJO, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 12: Dollar General Store Sees Increased Demand As The Company Rapidly Expands. … [+]
This move by Dollar General is undoubtedly a strategic path towards revenue growth and diversification. The value for patients and consumers is relatively simple. This new business proposition makes taking care of health issues and refilling prescriptions as easy as walking into the store to purchase basic supplies and groceries. Indeed, consumers certainly appreciate this. Especially since the convenience of healthcare has become a big issue after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dollar General isn’t the only retailer piloting this model. Over the past two years, Walmart has significantly expanded its in-store healthcare capabilities. Again, the company seeks to optimize customer convenience to provide affordable and easy access to healthcare. I hope that the number of customers on one side will affect the number of customers on the other side.
Overall, companies are increasingly whole Providing an easier healthcare journey for patients by enabling not only location convenience, but also price transparency, fast turnaround times for results, short waiting times, and overall enablement, Enhance these services with better customer service. After all, healthcare is ripe for disruption in this sense. Because over the years, we have prioritized only our core purpose of trying to achieve superior health outcomes, rather than prioritizing customer service-oriented means. This is not enough in a modern world that demands not only results but also excellent customer service and convenience.
Dollar General’s DocGo initiative is something to watch in the coming months and years. With over 18,000 stores across the country, he has a lot of room to grow the service, not only in terms of business opportunities, but also in terms of providing people with convenient and accessible healthcare services.
