Dollar General, with more than 19,000 retail stores, has entered into a strategic partnership with mobile medical services company DocGo. The plan is to deploy mobile clinics to rural areas where Dollar General has a foothold. Approximately 80% of Dollar General’s stores are located in towns with populations of fewer than 20,000 residents, which are typically areas short on clinicians as well. DocGo’s self-pay rates start at $69. On the ground, a pilot program in the Clarksville, Tennessee, area brought in approximately 1,000 patients across Dollar General locations, some of whom received virtual care in the mobile units stationed in parking lots.
Buyer beware: Some skepticism remains, according to interviews conducted by Kaiser Health News. The idea is to counteract the healthcare provider drought in rural America, but the retailer might have perception challenges to overcome before it can convince patients that its inexpensive grocery items are not an indication of its quality of medical care.