Walmart is expanding its presence in the medtail space through a 10-year partnership with healthcare and insurance provider UnitedHealth Group that will begin in January 2023. The partnership will launch at 15 Walmart Health locations in Florida and Georgia, with plans to expand to additional locations.
Walmart will incorporate UnitedHealth Group’s Optum program to provide analytics and support tools to clinicians. The program will serve seniors and Medicare beneficiaries according to a value-based process — by which payment of health services are made to providers according to the quality and outcome of patient care — through multiple Medicare Advantage plans.
The offerings from the Walmart-UnitedHealth Group partnership will grow to eventually serve more patients who receive care under commercial and Medicaid plans. In time, the partners will align their healthcare efforts with access to fresh food and examining social factors influencing health. The program also will expand into over-the-counter and prescription medications in addition to dental and vision care.
News of Walmart’s partnership with UnitedHealth Group was released only days after CVS revealed it had acquired healthcare platform Signify Health in an $8 billion deal. The medtail space has been heating up over the last year with retailers fortifying their health offerings, such as Amazon’s agreement in July 2022 to acquire healthcare technology provider One Medical and Dollar General building up its healthcare advisory panel in early August 2022.
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“We’re on a journey to transform healthcare, connecting more people to the right care at the right time — at a cost that makes sense,” said Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart in a statement. “This collaboration puts the patient at the center of healthcare by leveraging the strength and complementary skill sets of our twocompanies to accelerate access to quality care.”
“UnitedHealth Group and Walmart share a deep commitment to high-quality and affordable primary care-led services that address all of a patient’s health needs in ways that are convenient for them and improve health outcomes,” said Andrew Witty, CEO of UnitedHealth Group in a statement.
