Dr. John Wigneswaran, Chief Medical Officer at Walmart, discusses the impact of pharmacy associates on care and the importance of accessible, affordable, human-centered care. They explore the challenges of the healthcare system, the role of community and trust, and the transformative potential of omni-channel care. Dr. Wigneswaran shares their journey in nephrology and their excitement about joining Walmart to provide holistic and local care.
Walmart has the opportunity to reinvent healthcare by providing accessible and reliable care, making it more efficient and trustworthy.
The blending of digital and physical environments in healthcare can revolutionize the way healthcare is delivered, improving medication adherence and outcomes.
Deep dives
Opportunity to Simplify Healthcare and Build Trust
The guest, Dr. John Wignis Warren, discusses the opportunity to simplify healthcare and build trust. He mentions that the healthcare system can be complex and overwhelming, especially with the abundance of information available. However, with Walmart's wide reach and community presence, there is a unique opportunity to reinvent the way healthcare is delivered, making it more efficient and trustworthy. By providing accessible and reliable care, people can have confidence in the resources and providers available to them.
Blending Digital and Physical Healthcare
Dr. Warren highlights the potential of blending digital and physical environments in healthcare. He mentions the concept of an omni experience, which combines both the digital and physical aspects of healthcare. He refers to the example of how Walmart successfully facilitated vaccine appointments by allowing people to easily access their accounts online and receive the vaccine in-store. By leveraging various data sets, including consumer data, it becomes possible to personalize and optimize care, improve medication adherence, and positively impact outcomes. This blending of digital and physical environments can revolutionize the way healthcare is delivered.
Dr. Warren's Journey and Walmart's Unique Approach
Dr. Warren shares his journey in medicine, from initially being drawn to clinical medicine and eventually specializing in nephrology. Along the way, he explored different sectors of healthcare, such as pharmaceuticals and dialysis. Prior to joining Walmart, he worked in the pharmacy space, where he realized the significant impact pharmacists can have on patient care. Driven by a desire for a more holistic and local approach to healthcare, he was drawn to Walmart's unique combination of telehealth, pharmacy services, clinics, and more. He sees Walmart as a place where he can make a meaningful difference by leveraging data and providing multifaceted care to customers.
We're grateful to have passionate people on our team like Dr. John Wigneswaran. Wig, as he likes to be called, is our Chief Medical Officer and joined Walmart after years in the medical field - he started in radiology, specialized in nephrology, and worked in the pharmaceutical industry, medical devices, dialysis, and most recently the pharmacy space. Wig shared firsthand the impact our pharmacy associates have on care and the relationship they build with their patients. We appreciate everything our pharmacy teams do every day, especially throughout the pandemic, and they are rightfully in the spotlight for National Pharmacy Week. Dr. Wig wanted to join Walmart because he saw how invested we are in providing accessible, affordable, human-centered care to associates and communities, and we’re lucky to have him on our incredible team.
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