I've recently written about Wal-mart's effort to reduce the cost of EHR acquisition. Many folks have asked for more details about how the product will be promoted and sold. Here's the answer based on followup calls with the Wal-mart folks running the project.

Sam's Club currently has "feet on the street" visiting with small business operators. In particular, there are individuals from the Health and Wellness business group that are currently calling on physician members. In the past, they would have spoken to physicians about the $4 Pharmacy program and office supplies. That same group will also be used to promote the EHR Solution. However, that is not enough to spread the word.

In partnering with eClinicalWorks and Dell, Sam's Club will be leveraging their "feet on the street" to get out the message. Sam's will rely on eClinicalWorks to communicate the technical details of how the software product works. ECW will do all the demos. Sam's is working with them to streamline that demo process. A first step is to do a web-demo which is relatively low cost.

Sam's is also beginning the process to partner with state governmental organizations and professional organizations to communicate the value of the program. Those partnerships will also spread the word.

Sam's will eventually create traveling demos so that physicians can be invited to clubs for a more interactive event targeted to their needs.

Per Sam's, all of this may not be enough. Depending on the pace of demand, they may also leverage existing infrastructure from other organizations to get the word out.

So, in summary, you'll not find a doctor at Sam's getting a case of toilet paper and an EHR, you'll find one on one discussion, demonstrations, and the involvement of many professional groups. Just as with the rollout and support, Sam's seems to have really thought this out.

John Halamka, MD, blogs regularly at Life As a Healthcare CIO.