How retail giants like Walmart and Dollar Tree are taking on the $4 trillion healthcare industry

Hello,

Welcome to Insider Healthcare. I'm healthcare editor Leah Rosenbaum, and today in healthcare news:

• Big retailers like Walgreens and Walmart are doubling down on their new healthcare plans;
• The first instance of the Omicron variant in the US has been detected in California;
• We spoke to major health systems about the essential tools that are transforming patient care.

If you're new to this newsletter, sign up here. Comments, tips? Email me at lrosenbaum@insider.com or tweet @leah_rosenbaum. Let's get to it...

Big retail companies like CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart are doubling down on their healthcare strategies. Here's how they're planning to compete in the $4 trillion industry.

• Big retail companies doubled down on their healthcare strategies this year.
• Each company is looking to nab a bigger piece of the nearly $4 trillion healthcare industry.
• Here's how CVS, Best Buy, Dollar General, Walgreens, and Walmart plan to disrupt the space.

Check it out>>

The Omicron variant has landed in the US: California just reported its first case

• The US has identified its first case of the Omicron variant in a San Francisco, California resident.
• Public-health experts predicted last week that Omicron was already spreading in the US.
• The variant shows signs of being more transmissible or dangerous than other coronavirus strains.

Read more>>

These are the 5 essential tools that hospitals are using to transform patient care right now

• Health systems are investing millions in new tech programs, but most aren't available yet.
• We asked leaders what was transforming patient care today in the biggest way.
• Their answers included telehealth and pharmacy apps that manage patients' benefits.

Dive in>>

More stories we're reading:

• Here are all the mutations in the Omicron variant and why they are scaring scientists (Insider)
• A visualization of how the coronavirus moves from person to person (The New York Times)
• Covax head says rich countries should prioritize global vaccination over booster shots: 'Where is the science that suggests three-month boosters make sense?' (Insider)
• A majority of Supreme Court Justices may be willing to overturn Roe v. Wade (Kaiser Health News)

-Leah