CenterWell, the health care services business of Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM), plans to lease clinical space and open senior-focused primary care centers in 23 Walmart Supercenter retail stores in Florida, Georgia, Missouri and Texas. The new centers will be located adjacent to Walmart stores in clinical office space formerly occupied by Walmart Health.
In April 2024, Walmart announced it would close 51 Walmart Health Centers as well as Walmart Health Virtual Care. The Arkansas-based retail giant said that due to a challenging reimbursement environment and rising operating costs, it is not a sustainable business model to continue. The company continues to operate 4,600 pharmacies and more than 3,000 vision centers.
The primary care centers will operate under the CenterWell Senior Primary Care and Conviva Care Centers brands and will be designed to provide seniors in these communities with increased access to primary care services designed specifically for older adults. CenterWell expects the centers to be equipped, staffed and open no later than the first half of 2025. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“CenterWell is committed to providing seniors with high-quality health care that is accessible, comprehensive, and above all, personalized. We are excited about the unique opportunity to lease space from a world-class community partner like Walmart and offer seniors across these four states greater access to our integrated approach to health care,” said Sanjay Shetty, MD, president of CenterWell, in a statement. “These nearly two dozen primary care centers are designed specifically for seniors, and the design of each location, including dedicated entrances and easy parking, offers patients the access they expect at our clinics across the country. We look forward to expanding our mission of helping patients lead happier, healthier lives.”
“We are excited to welcome CenterWell to these purpose-built healthcare spaces to deliver quality care to communities across four states,” Brian Setzer, executive vice president of Walmart Health & Wellness, said in a statement. “Leasing these spaces to a well-known and successful healthcare delivery organization is a win for customers and patients as we continue to focus on our core health and wellness business of pharmacy and optical.”
Together, CenterWell Senior Primary Care, along with its sister brand Conviva Care Centers, make up the Humana Primary Care Organization, providing care to approximately 318,000 seniors at nearly 300 centers in 15 states.
These locations include a staff of board-certified physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who coordinate care along with care coaches, social workers, behavioral health specialists, and clinical pharmacists.
