Walmart expands AI health platform to Medicaid, Medicare members
Walmart Inc. is teaming with a startup to provide personalized nutrition and guidance to select Medicare Advantage and Medicaid members.
Walmart is partnering with health tech startup Soda Health Inc. to launch the Walmart Everyday Health Signals program to eligible Medicare Advantage and Medicaid members who opt in.
Walmart Everyday Health Signals is designed to support day-to-day decisions for better health and wellbeing by utilizing real-time retail insights and targeted benefit delivery. The retailer also recently extended the offering to NationsBenefits members.
[READ MORE: Walmart combines its AI health platform with NationsBenefits services]
Members who enroll in the program can opt in to receive personalized nutrition and wellness insights based on their shopping patterns on Walmart.com. This includes key nutritional information for purchases like fruits and vegetables and identifying products to help reach wellness goals, along with customized healthy recipes and shopping lists. These data-driven insights are generated only when members opt in to participate.
Participating members who opt in receive direct access to real-time engagement tools powered by data driven insights:
- After selecting a wellness objective, members will receive guidance tailored to their goals and personal shopping habits.
- Members will be provided data-driven guidance to help navigate food choices and lifestyle change.
- Information may also be used by health plans to identify additional benefits which support the members’ overall health and wellness. For example, insights may be used by plans to facilitate care coordination and identify additional benefits in support of the member’s overall health and wellness.
“At Walmart, we're focused on making it easier for individuals and families to access the everyday foods that support their health and well-being," said Pravene Nath, MD, group director, consumer health and data solutions at Walmart. "Through our work with Soda Health, we’re helping members and other plan participants access personalized insights and groceries that align with their wellness goals. Together, we’re creating affordable, scalable solutions that address both individual health and broader community needs."
Walmart is co-launching this new program following the pullback of its Walmart Health service, which included brick-and-mortar clinics as well as virtual care options, in 2024.
Meanwhile, Soda Health also has existing partnerships with Hy-Vee and Kroger to personalize and deliver benefits down to the SKU level.
"Our collaboration with Walmart demonstrates how the retail and healthcare sectors can work together to improve population health — starting with nutrition," said Robby Knight, co-founder and CEO of Soda Health. "Soda Health is helping to create connections between health plans and retailers to serve their members better by using opt in data to personalize interventions. As the focus increasingly turns toward the role of food as medicine, programs like this will help define better ways of improving outcomes and reducing the cost of care."
Based in Bentonville, Ark., Walmart Inc. operates more than 10,500 stores and numerous e-commerce websites in 19 countries.
