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HEALTHCARE
NEWS
Walmart's key healthcare moves in 2021: A timeline
By Georgina Gonzalez
T
hroughout 2021, Walmart made key expansions into health-
care, especially within the telehealth space. It has also faced
issues from the fallout of the opioid crisis lawsuit.
Below are some of Walmart's key healthcare moves in 2021, as re-
ported by Becker's Hospital Review.
Jan. 3: Walmart pharmacists warned the company for years of opioid
sales that seemed dangerous or illegal, and some claim Walmart pres-
sured them not to report the suspicious behavior, NPR reported.
Jan. 4: Walmart Health planned to add seven more stores across the
nation by the end of 2021.
Jan. 8: Walmart expanded virtual care benefits available to employees
in Colorado, Minnesota and Wisconsin through its telehealth pro-
gram partnership with Doctor on Demand.
Jan. 25: During the beginning phases of the COVID-19 vaccine
rollout, Walmart expanded its offerings of the vaccine to 11 states
and Puerto Rico.
Feb. 19: Insider reported that the company may slow its ambitious
push into healthcare it laid out in 2018.
April 28: Ro, a direct-to-consumer telehealth app for pharmacy ser-
vices, inked its first retail collaboration with Walmart.
May 6: Walmart Health announced its acquisition of MeMD, a multi-
specialty telehealth provider, pushing into telehealth.
June 7: It launched a prescription drug saving program, Walmart+
Rx, which offers discounts of up to 85 percent on thousands of com-
monly prescribed drugs, including heart health, mental health, allergy
and diabetes drugs.
June 7: Walmart Health's primary care medical group filed paperwork
to expand virtual care in 16 more states. It emphasised the move was to
bolster its telehealth initiative and not its primary care push.
June 16: e retail giant launched a free digital wallet that people can
use to store and share their health information, starting with their
COVID-19 vaccine record.
June 29: Walmart announced it would begin offering a less expen-
sive private label version of analog insulin for diabetes patients who
struggle to afford their medication.
July 19: Walmart filed paperwork to operate its healthcare business in 37
states, adding on from its filing to operate in 16 states in April and May.
Aug. 29: According to a report from e Wall Street Journal, Walmart
is expanding its healthcare presence to include cost-friendly, easily
accessible mental health resources for consumers.
Sept. 7: e retail giant filed to add seven primary care clinics
throughout Northeast Florida.
Sept. 10: Walmart, among Amazon and Kroger, announced it would
start selling at-home COVID-19 tests at significantly reduced prices
as part of the Biden administration's plan to combat the virus.
Sept. 13: Walmart announced a shake-up of its top leadership to
focus on its healthcare push.
Sept. 25: At Walmart wellness day, the company offered COVID-19
vaccines and other immunization at 4,700 stores nationwide.
Sept 27: Epic's electronic health record is set to be used in Walmart
Health clinics to engage with patients, payers and healthcare providers.
Sept. 29: Walmart Health clinics seemed to be struggling with some
basic operations such as price transparency, billing and credentialing
physicians. Some patients reported overpaying.
Sept. 29: Walmart announced it was looking to hire 150,000 new
store associates across the country in time for the winter holiday
season and beyond.
Oct. 15: Walmart launched a go-to-market solution for self-insured
employers of all sizes. It is offering its savings on pharmaceuticals and
other services to self-insured employers for the first time.
Oct. 25: e District Court of Central California on Oct. 20 awarded
$27.5 million to a former Walmart employer for denying her breaks
and overtime aer she filed a class-action lawsuit against Walmart.
Nov. 11: e end of a multiyear agreement between Express Scripts
and Walmart means that service members who receive health insur-
ance through TRICARE cannot fill prescriptions at Walmart. e
change took effect Dec. 15.
Nov. 18: Walmart announced that it inked a partnership with drone
company Zipline to instantly deliver healthcare items to consum-
ers in Arkansas.
Nov. 23: A federal jury ruled that Walmart, along with CVS Health
and Walgreens, had substantially contributed to the opioid crisis in
two Ohio counties. n
Healthcare deals
increased by 56% in
2021, report finds
By Marissa Plescia
H
ealthcare deal volumes grew by 56 percent in
the 12 months through Nov. 15, 2021, com-
pared with the same period in 2020, especially
in physician medical groups, managed care and reha-
bilitation subsectors, a recent PwC report found.
Although there were high multiples in 2021, deals con-
tinued steadily, according to the report. There were also
nine megadeals of at least $5 billion. PwC expects this
megadeal activity to continue in 2022.
The deals were powered largely by factors such as capi-
tal availability and regulatory pressures, the report said.
Physician medical groups saw 400 deals during the pe-
riod, compared with the 200-250 deals that were closed
during the same period in 2017-19. n
