Walmart said on Tuesday that it will close all 51 of its health clinics and shut its virtual healthcare operations, saying it could not see it as a sustainable business model to continue.
“Healthcare is expensive to run. We were finding that the increased labour and operating costs environment, like with reimbursement, both public and private, made it difficult (to run the business) and obvious we had to close,” a spokesperson said.
Read the full story on the Reuters website
NAM Implications:
- Walmart started its health clinics initiative in 2019…
- …providing a range of services, including primary care, dental care, and telehealth.
- A good idea, perhaps ahead of its time…
- …and Walmart, being Walmart, promptly cut its losses.
- Perhaps the opportunity remains viable for Amazon…
- …in that they can draw on their unique combination of purchasing behaviour and personal health monitoring of their Prime base…
- …added to their fulfilment expertise/profitability…
- …and post-treatment monitoring.
