Walmart, Simple HealthKit partner to offer at-home testing

California-based diagnostics startup Simple HealthKit announced that it is partnering with Walmart to make its home diagnostic test kits for diabetes, sexual wellness and respiratory health available to customers via the retail chain’s website. 

Simple HeathKit’s sexual health test kit can identify gonorrhea, chlamydia and trichomoniasis. Its respiratory test can detect influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and its diabetes-focused test helps identify markers for Type 2 diabetes. 

Customers can order the tests through Walmart.com with physician oversight and perform the tests at home. Testers then send the sample to a Simple HealthKit lab, and within 24 hours, customers will receive the results. Customers with abnormal results will be connected to a care provider for free follow-up care.

“We are excited to welcome Simple HealthKit to Walmart and provide customers a convenient way to assess their health at an everyday low price,” Staci Cochran, vice president of health merchandising at Walmart, said in a statement. “It’s another way Walmart is helping customers be more proactive in their health and making wellness products and services more accessible.”

THE LARGER TREND

In February, Simple HealthKit garnered $8 million in Series A funding, bringing its total raise to $12 million.

Walmart launched Walmart Health in 2019. It established its physical presence in healthcare by opening health center locations in states across the U.S. The retail giant expects to have over 75 centers nationwide by the end of 2024.

Two years after Walmart Health’s launch, the retail company announced its acquisition of telehealth company MeMD, which offers virtual urgent care, behavioral healthcare and primary care. The national telehealth provider changed its name to Walmart Health Virtual Care last year as part of its transition into Walmart Health. 

Another retail giant that has made its way into healthcare is Amazon, which closed its $3.9 billion acquisition of primary care provider One Medical in February. The tech and retail giant also launched several ventures in the space, including Amazon Clinic and the recently discontinued Amazon Care offering for employers.