Walmart Health announced this week that it would open its first centers in the state of Florida over the next few months.  

The five Walmart Health locations in North and Central Florida will also be the first to use Epic technology, said the company.  

"Two years after the launch of Walmart Health, we continue evolving and growing to make health care even more accessible to the communities we serve," said Dr. David Carmouche, senior vice president of Omnichannel Care Offerings at Walmart, in a statement.

WHY IT MATTERS  

Walmart first announced the partnership with Epic this past September, with a goal of helping to maintain connections with patients, healthcare professionals, insurance carriers and other stakeholders.   

It also plans to use the electronic health record vendor's tools to promote communication, personalization and information sharing.  

The locations in Florida, which are slated to open in Jacksonville, Middleburg, Kissimmee, Sanford and Wesley Chapel throughout April and June, will be the first centers to rely on Epic, with all of the corporation's health and wellness lines of business eventually supported.  

Those locations will provide a range of services, said Walmart, including primary care, labs, X-ray and EKG, behavioral health and counseling, dental, optical and hearing. In addition, the centers will offer telehealth options from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.  

"With only one primary care doctor per 1,380 Florida residents, these Walmart Health centers will help address the demand for care in three major cities in the Sunshine State, delivering quality health care at the right time in the right setting, right next to where many Floridians get their groceries," said Carmouche.  

THE LARGER TREND  

Big-box retailers have spent the last few years making inroads into the healthcare space, with senior VP of Walmart Health Marcus Osborne saying in a June 2021 panel that Americans are looking for an "omnichannel health solution."  

Meanwhile, Best Buy Health president Deborah DiSanzo predicted at the same panel that healthcare is becoming "increasingly tech focused" – and, she said, "Best Buy is going to be there."  

Mega-corporation Amazon has been signaling its own intentions in that regard, with plans to expand in-person and telehealth care offerings throughout the country.  

ON THE RECORD  

"We are part of these communities, and we are excited to bring more options for in-person and telehealth care services to our neighbors," said Carmouche in a statement.

Kat Jercich is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Twitter: @kjercich
Email: kjercich@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.