The 17 health systems to which Walmart sends employees for care in 2021

Through its Centers of Excellence program, Walmart partners with health systems that have demonstrated appropriate, high-quality care and outcomes for defined episodes of care.

The program bundles payments for the costs of certain procedures, meaning the $524 billion retailer bypasses insurers and works directly with health systems.

To determine where to refer associates for defined episodes of care, Walmart starts by examining health systems — not hospitals or individual physicians. Lisa Woods, vice president of physical and emotional well-being at Walmart, and her team gather massive amounts of publicly available data on health systems. They then distribute requests for information and conduct detailed on-site visits, which involve determining precisely which physicians affiliated with the health system do and don't participate in the COE. (Read more about the retailer's COE program here.) 

Below is a listing of the 17 health systems and campuses to which Walmart will refer patients for defined episodes of care as of June 4. (See how COE participants have evolved since 2019 by visiting that list here.) 

Joint replacement

1. Emory Healthcare (Atlanta)
2. Geisinger (Danville, Pa.)
3. Johns Hopkins Medicine (Baltimore)
4. Kaiser Permanente (Irvine, Calif.)
5. Mayo Clinic (Jacksonville, Fla.)
6. Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minn.)
7. Mercy (Springfield, Mo.)
8. Northeast Baptist Hospital (San Antonio)
9. Ochsner (New Orleans)
10. Scripps Green (La Jolla, Calif.)
11. University Hospital (Cleveland)
12. Virginia Mason (Seattle)

Spine

1. Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates (Charlotte, N.C.)
2. Emory Healthcare (Atlanta)
3. Geisinger (Danville, Pa.)
4. Mayo Clinic (Jacksonville, Fla.)
5. Mayo Clinic (Phoenix)
6. Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minn.)
7. Memorial Hermann (Houston)
8. Mercy (Springfield, Mo.)
9. Ochsner (New Orleans)
10. Virginia Mason (Seattle)

Bariatric

1. Geisinger (Danville, Pa.)
2. Northeast Baptist Hospital (San Antonio)
3. Northwest Medical Center (Springdale, Ark.)
4. Ochsner (New Orleans)
5. Scripps Mercy (San Diego)
6. University Hospital (Cleveland)

Cancer and transplants

1. Mayo Clinic (Jacksonville, Fla.)
2. Mayo Clinic (Phoenix)
3. Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minn.)

Cardiac

1. Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland)
2. Geisinger (Danville, Pa.)
3. Virginia Mason (Seattle)