Walmart Health plans to add 16 locations across Florida in 2023 after seeing early success with its first six locations in the state this year.
The new facilities, located alongside Walmart stores, are set to open in the Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa areas by next fall. They'll provide a range of services seven days a week, including primary care, lab work, X-ray, behavioral health and dental.
Walmart Health's first locations in Florida have seen patient wait times of about half the U.S. average, Walmart said in a news release. More than 96% of patients reported that they "felt cared for." Nearly half of all appointments have been for primary and chronic condition care.
“As the population in Florida continues to grow at more than double the rate of the rest of the United States, so does the need to increase access to quality health care,” Dr. David Carmouche, Walmart's senior vice president of omnichannel care offerings, said in the release.
Walmart Health first launched in 2019. There are 32 locations in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, and Texas.
The Florida locations are the first to use Epic health technology, which Walmart said is the most widely-used and comprehensive health records system in the U.S.
Beginning in January, 15 Walmart Health centers in Florida and Georgia will also offer comprehensive value-based care to certain Medicare Advantage patients, as part of 10-year collaboration between Walmart and UnitedHealth Group. Value-based health care is a delivery model in which physicians and hospitals are paid based on patient outcomes.
The retail giant's health care portfolio is positioned for further growth with clinical trials provided through the new Walmart Healthcare Research Institute SM. The institute, announced this month, aims to increase participation from underrepresented populations in health care trials.
