Walmart is planning to close all 51 of its health centers across five states, changing course from its originally stated plan of expanding to 75 locations this year. The company also plans to end its telehealth services, citing operational costs and reimbursement complexities that made its healthcare business unsustainable.
All centers stopped accepting new patients last week, however, Walmart said it would continue to care for existing patients during the transition, as well as help its healthcare associates transition to other roles as it winds down the business.
First launched in 2019, Walmart's health centers offered medical, dental, and behavioral healthcare services like annual checkups, sports physicals, X-rays, chronic condition management, and treatment for minor illnesses or injuries, but apparently its model wasn't financially sustainable.
Walmart did not share specific closing dates for each center, but said it would share that information once decisions are made.
Walmart is not leaving the healthcare business altogether — just shuttering its medical services.
The company plans on keeping open its 3,000 vision centers and 4,600 pharmacies, which will continue to offer health screenings and testing.
With Walmart retreating from healthcare, will Amazon continue to forge ahead? Amazon recently expanded its telehealth service nationwide after acquiring the primary care provider One Medical last year for $3.9B.