Dive Brief:
- Teladoc Health said Thursday it is partnering with Walmart to add its virtual care services to the retail giant’s digital healthcare platform.
- With the partnership, Teladoc’s virtual care offerings — including urgent care, dermatology and nutrition support — are now available through Walmart’s Better Care Services platform, which connects customers to third-party digital health providers.
- The deal should put Teladoc’s services in front of more potential patients, Kelly Bliss, president of the company’s U.S. group health business, told Healthcare Dive. “We have the largest nationwide network of virtual care providers in the country, and so we want to activate that network and our clinical services wherever people are making health decisions,” she said.
Dive Insight:
Walmart first launched Better Care Services early this year, in a bid to more easily connect customers with a network of selected virtual care providers for urgent care and behavioral health. The offering also includes access to LillyDirect — drugmaker Eli Lilly’s telehealth platform and medication delivery service — and obesity and weight management providers.
BetterHelp, Teladoc’s direct-to-consumer mental health service, was included in Better Care Services in January. Now, the telehealth company is adding more offerings to the program.
For a cash price of $89 per visit, users can access Teladoc’s 24/7 urgent care, which can help treat conditions like sinus infections, urinary tract infections, and cold and flu symptoms. Customers can also use Teladoc for dermatology — like rashes, sunburns and skin infections — or nutritional assistance.
Those services were selected because they’re in demand with cash pay patients, Bliss said. Additionally, customers who are already Teladoc members through their health plan or employer can access other programs they’re eligible for, she said.
The deal with Walmart builds upon Teladoc’s partnerships with retailers. This spring, the telehealth firm partnered with grocery delivery company Instacart that allows members to browse Teladoc’s recipes and meal plans and add ingredients to their carts.
And last year, Teladoc joined an Amazon marketplace that aims to connect customers to health benefits programs, like the company’s diabetes, hypertension and weight management programs.
Teladoc will consider more partnerships with retailers and platforms too, Bliss said.
“More and more the consumer is seeing virtual care as a high quality option to accessing care and to address their health concerns and their health needs, and so we want to be there anywhere that they’re contemplating that decision,” she said. “And so we will continue to expand where Teladoc Health shows up.”
Teladoc has recently focused on a strategic revamp to drive long-term growth, prioritizing international expansion, improving operating efficiency, better leveraging its mental health assets and enhancing its integrated care business.
Teladoc’s revenue increasingly comes from individual visits instead of subscriptions to its services. About 70% of Teladoc’s members were in subscription-based models a few years ago, with 30% in visit-based arrangements, CEO Chuck Divita said on a first-quarter earnings call in April. But by the end of this year, 70% of the company’s membership will be enrolled in visit-based arrangements.
