Walmart is shutting down its health centers and virtual care service after struggling to make them successful. The retail giant launched its health centers five years ago with the goal of helping people save money on their healthcare needs. However, the company announced that there is not a sustainable business model for them to continue operating these services.
The Bentonville, Arkansas-based company had 51 health centers in five states but has now realized that the challenging reimbursement environment and escalating operating costs have made the care business unsustainable for them at this time. Walmart opened its first health center in 2019 and had plans to expand with more centers in different areas.
In March 2023, Walmart announced plans to add more than two dozen health centers to some of its stores, with the majority planned for Dallas and Houston. However, the company has now decided to close its existing health centers, and employees working there will have the opportunity to transfer to other Walmart or Sam’s Club locations.
Walmart still operates almost 4,600 pharmacies and over 3,000 vision centers in the U.S., which will continue to provide healthcare services to customers. There is no specific date for the closure of the health centers yet, but Walmart will provide that information when available.