News this week that Walmart is shuttering all 51 health centers along with its virtual care services came on the heels of recent media reports that Optum also was exiting the telehealth business. The announcement that UnitedHealth, which owns Optum, was shutting down Optum Virtual Care came shortly after employees began sharing posts on social media about a massive workforce reduction. Optum launched the telehealth service just in 2021. A spokesperson for UnitedHealth Group’s health services arm said Optum would continue to provide patients with a “robust network of providers for virtual urgent, primary and specialty care options.”

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Provider Strategy reports on market developments and insights related to the healthcare provider workforce. Our publication is committed to improving the healthcare professional workforce, utilization of providers, and ultimately supporting thought leadership in workforce innovation.

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