Walmart made the decision to close because its new health clinics aren’t profitable enough. The massive retail chain declared today that it will close all 51 of the health centers it has opened in five states since 2019. Walmart is also discontinuing its virtual care initiative subsequent to the 2021 acquisition of MeMD, a telehealth service.
In a statement, Walmart stated, “We determined there is not a sustainable business model for us to continue.” With its foray into healthcare, Walmart faced competition from well-known retail competitors as well as well-established urgent care facilities. Last year, Amazon completed the $3.9 billion purchase of membership-based healthcare service One Medical.
Walmart announced that it would continue to serve current patients while its Walmart Health Centers remain open, but it would not disclose the precise dates on which each would close. There won’t be any impact on the 4,600 pharmacies and about 3,000 Vision Centers owned by the corporation.