In 2019, Walmart opened its first health clinic and has since expanded to Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, and Texas. However, the retailer recently announced that it will be shutting down the health clinics it has at 51 stores across these five states. The decision to close the clinics was made after Walmart found the business to be “unsustainable.” Although no specific date was provided for the closures, sources indicate that they will happen within the next 45 to 90 days.
Earlier this year, Walmart had planned to expand the number of clinics but decided to close them after receiving new information about reimbursements from insurers. This move comes as a reversal of the company’s recent plans to double the number of clinics at its retail stores.
The closure of Walmart’s health clinics is noteworthy because it represents a significant shift in strategy for a company that had previously invested heavily in healthcare services. The decision marks a departure from Amazon’s expansion of its benefit for Prime members to include access to online services and visits at hundreds of One Medical clinics.
Despite the clinic closures, Walmart will continue to operate pharmacies at around 4,600 stores across the US, with over 4,000 of these locations in “medical provider shortage areas.” The company sees its pharmacies as an integral part of providing healthcare to customers and considers them to be the front door to healthcare in many communities.
