As Walmart expands into Texas, it is closing all of its more than 50 clinics.
Three clinics opened in Houston earlier this month, and others were scheduled to open in DeSoto and Fort Worth this week. Hundreds of jobs are expected to be affected, but specific numbers have not been released.
A total of 18 clinics were under construction this year at Walmart stores in Washington D-FW and Houston. Since 2019, Walmart has opened 50 clinics inside its stores in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois and Missouri. Four more clinics were scheduled to open in Kansas City. Walmart opened 17 clinics last year.
Built on approximately 5,400 square feet within the Supercenter, these clinics offer multiple medical services including primary care, dental, behavioral health, labs, x-rays, community care, and telehealth, including same-day appointments. We provide services under one roof.
A Walmart spokesperson said the clinic will be closed for the next 45 to 60 days.
The timing of the decision to close the business came after new information regarding insurer reimbursements became available. The cost of building, staffing and operating clinics has changed over the past five years, making it more difficult to maintain the financial model, the spokesperson said.
A spokesperson said overall reimbursement from insurance companies and cash payers is difficult. Walmart is scheduled to report first-quarter results in May, but the costs associated with clinic closures are not expected to be significant.
In an interview earlier this month dallas morning newsDr. David Carmouche, Walmart's senior vice president of healthcare delivery, said having clinics in stores will allow more people to access healthcare.
Last year, four small clinics providing limited primary care services opened in Garland, Royce City, Palestine and Tyler. They close too.
Walmart's announcement comes as Walgreen Village MD is closing stores in Florida, Illinois and Indiana. VillageMD has 83 locations in Texas and announced earlier this month that it has no plans to close any Texas clinics. Walgreens also took a $6 billion writedown on its investment in VillageMD in March.
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