BILLINGS — Walmart pharmacies across Montana launched a new service last week that allows pharmacists to test patients and prescribe them the appropriate treatment.
"It's going to take a lot of pressure off of our urgent cares. It's going to be a lot more accessible," said Arminda Meer, the pharmacy manager at the Walmart on King Avenue West.
The service is called Testing and Treatment and it lets Walmart pharmacists test customers for flu, strep and COVID-19. If positive, pharmacists then prescribe the appropriate treatment.
"For complicated cases that have a really nasty cough or need multiple medications, they can still go to the walk-in clinics. But for someone that just has a really mild case of what they think is the flu or the early onset of strep, you can come here and get treated within half an hour, 45 minutes, versus going to the emergency room or going to a walk-in clinic where you could sit for a couple of hours waiting," Meer said.
According to Healthcare IT News, 55 out of the 56 counties in Montana are designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas, with limited access to urgent and routine medical visits.
With cold and flu season approaching, the hope is that the launch of this new service will help take the burden off of walk-in clinics.
“We have two really close walk-in clinics that just get overwhelmed, especially during cold and flu season, so it's going to take a lot of pressure off them,” Meer said.
The Testing and Treatment service is available at all 14 Walmart pharmacies in Montana. The prices range from $150 to $175 for the service. Currently, they only take cash or Health Savings Accounts but are working to be able to bill third-party insurance.
