Humana takes over Walmart Health facilities, signs deal with Google Cloud

Insurance provider Humana has staked an even bigger claim in the healthcare industry this week.

On Wednesday, CenterWell, the healthcare services side of Humana, announced its plans to lease primary care centers geared toward older adults at 23 former Walmart Health retail stores in Florida, Georgia, Missouri, and Texas.

The clinical sites were previously used by Walmart Health, which shuttered in April and closed down all 51 of its healthcare clinics and virtual care services.

“We are eager to expand on our mission to help patients lead happier, healthier lives,” said Sanjay Shetty, president of CenterWell, in a press release.

CenterWell Senior Primary Care and its sister brand Conviva Care Centers make up Humana’s Primary Care Organization, which serves about 318,000 older adults in about 300 facilities across 15 states, according to the company.

The 23 new facilities are expected to be staffed and open by the first half of 2025, CenterWell said in the release.

Into the cloud: On Thursday, Humana announced that it had reached a multiyear agreement with Google Cloud, a move the company says will “modernize” its systems and allow for more AI capabilities.

Many other healthcare companies also work with Google Cloud, including Blue Shield of California, Mayo Clinic, and HCA Healthcare, according to Google’s website.

Jim Rechtin, Humana’s CEO, said in a press release that the company plans to use Google Cloud’s technology to “make it easier for our members and patients to have affordable access to the right care at the right time.”

“Google Cloud’s technology platform can make our contact centers more responsive, our provider networks easier to navigate, healthcare coverage easier to understand, and primary care better tailored to individual needs,” he continued.

Humana did not disclose the financial terms of the agreement with either Walmart or Google.