Holy Healthcare, Batman, Walmart just announced it is getting out of the healthcare provider business by closing its 51 Walmart Health centers around the country, including three brand new locations opened only a few weeks ago in Pearland, Sugar Land and Tomball, the first for Texas. This means they are not proceeding with the other 18 centers the company announced around the Metroplex and Houston to be opened later this year. The company is also closing its Walmart Virtual Health service.
These Walmart Health centers provided clients with same-day primary care, primary care, dental, behavioral health, labs, x-ray, community health and telehealth.
The Texas centers were touted to “offer value-based care for certain senior populations, where our board-certified providers make it easy for seniors to get annual check-ups, dental cleanings and support managing chronic conditions – all in one location with flexible scheduling options.”
According to the release on the opening of the three Texas centers, Walmart Health was “first launched in 2019, Walmart Health offers same-day primary care, dental, behavioral health, labs, x-ray, community health and telehealth all in one facility located adjacent to a Walmart Supercenter. Walmart Health offers omnichannel access to care seven days a week at convenient hours through in-person centers and Walmart Health Virtual Care. Walmart Health has 50 locations in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri and Texas. Additional information can be found by visiting walmarthealth.com. Select Walmart Health Centers in Florida, Georgia and Texas offer comprehensive value-based care to certain Medicare Advantage patients, as part of a recent collaboration announcement between Walmart and UnitedHealth Group.”
Walmart cited a lack of a sustainable business model as the primary reason for shutting down the Walmart Health centers and Walmart Health Virtual Care. Specifically, the company said that the challenging reimbursement environment and escalating operating costs made these centers unsustainable at this time.
If Walmart can’t make it in healthcare, my god, what does that say about the challenges other providers face including dentists?