RadNet had previously discussed the possibility of collaborating with Walmart for more than a year. One of their leaders lives on Chicago’s South Side and said RSNA 2023 was an opportunity to meet and showcase what potential partnerships could be. Director Timothy Merchant said. Radiation business. Several of the company’s executives visited RadNet’s New York City location and came away “impressed” by the opportunity to improve access to images for both shoppers and Walmart employees.
Merchant said the agreement provides the possibility of opening more Mammogram Now stores in additional Walmart stores. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer currently operates more than 4,600 of his stores and employs 1.6 million people in the United States alone.
“About 90 percent of Americans live within 10 miles of a Walmart. So I think this gives us an opportunity to serve more rural areas,” Merchant said. “I know my family lives in those areas, and Walmart is really like the hub of their entire community.”
RadNet and Walmart are also discussing the possibility of expanding the service beyond mammography. The clinic’s footprint provides the opportunity to add a CT scanner, which also allows RadNet to screen for lung cancer, especially in areas with high smoking rates. One of the key success metrics during the pilot program is collecting enough visits to cover the cost of the service.
“We also have to be very careful about the follow-up,” Merchant said. “These patients fall directly into our standard protocol, allowing us to direct them to the appropriate next steps if there are findings and a callback. We need to take them to a convenient secondary location where they can receive the next steps, such as a sonography or breast magnetic resonance imaging.”
The pilot is expected to last 18 months, with further expansion opportunities before then. Merchant said RadNet selected locations to test the model in different types of markets. Milford, Del., is a natural extension of existing service in the area, with another company’s previous location in nearby Dover. Meanwhile, Phoenix is allowing RadNet to test its service in urban markets, while Hanford offers a more rural alternative.
Los Angeles-based RadNet bills itself as the nation’s “leading” provider of free-standing, fixed-site diagnostic imaging services. The company operates a total of 366 outpatient imaging centers across core markets including California, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Florida and Arizona.