Walmart is taking another step further into the healthcare space as a provider by adding 16 new health centers in Florida.
The new locations are in the metro areas of Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa, with plans to open by fall 2023. Walmart Health care clinics offer several healthcare services, including medical services such as wellness checks, physicals, sick and injury checks, immunizations, chronic care management, in addition to dental, optometry and behavioral health.
The new locations are state of the art and are located beside Walmart Supercenters, offering services seven days a week. Services may vary by location, by patients can also receive X-rays and EKGs at Walmart Health.
“As the population in Florida continues to grow at more than double the rate of the rest of the United States, so does the need to increase access to quality health care,” David Carmouche, MD, senior vice president, Omnichannel Care Offerings at Walmart, said in a statement. “With these 16 new Walmart Health centers across the state, even more Floridians will have easy access to a wide range of high-quality health services at convenient hours and easy to understand prices.”
Walmart Health opened its first six locations in Florida in 2022. According to Walmart, these locations can see patients with wait times at approximately half the U.S. average. Nearly half of appointments are for primary and chronic condition care. With the new 16 location slotted for 2023, Walmart Health will have 22 locations across Florida by the end of next year.
Walmart Health’s expansion comes as traditional hospitals and health systems are struggling financially due to lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, high inflation rates and rising costs, as well as a tight labor market. Hospitals are also facing lower revenues as patients flock to outpatient facilities for some care services. Walmart, as well as other major retail pharmacies, see this trend as an opportunity to meet their customers in their own communities for routine and primary care.
Walmart launched Walmart Health in 2019 prior to the pandemic and has since expanded its offerings and launched the Walmart Healthcare Research Institute with the aim to enroll underrepresented communities into clinical trials. Walmart also acquired MeMD, now known as Walmart Health Virtual Care, to offer virtual healthcare services. The retail giant has also launched a telehealth diabetes care management program and begun selling over-the-counter hearing aids.
Even as Walmart and others are increasing their presence in the healthcare provider space, another retail conglomerate, Amazon, has shut down some of its healthcare services. Amazon announced it was shutting down its own primary care business, Amazon Care, by the end of the year.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."