Walmart plans to expand 28 stores with health care centers in 2024

Walmart plans to add more than a dozen healthcare facilities to some of its stores next year as it expands its focus on basic care and other services. The company stated that it will establish 28 centres in 2024, the majority of which will be in Dallas and Houston. It will also extend into Phoenix and Kansas City, Missouri. The new centres will be constructed inside Walmart Supercenters and will provide primary and dental treatment, as well as behavioural health and audiology services. Walmart presently operates 32 stores and plans to open 17 more in Florida this year. According to a spokeswoman, the centres will service patients of all genders.

However, Walmart is also collaborating with the health-care behemoth UnitedHealth Group to provide value-based treatment to some Medicare Advantage beneficiaries. These are private versions of the federal government's Medicare programme, primarily for individuals 65 and older. Value-based care is a medical strategy that is gaining popularity among bill payers such as the federal government. It basically rewards doctors for keeping patients healthy rather than compensating them for each service they provide.

The idea is to help patients stay on their medications, control chronic health problems such as diabetes and avoid hospital stays and other expensive care. Last month, CVS Health said it would pay $10.6 billion to buy the clinic operator Oak Street Health, which also specializes in value-based care. Walmart opened its first health care center in 2019 and will be operating more than 75 health centers by the end of next year. The retailer runs more than 4,700 stores in the United States and 600 Sam's Club locations.