Walmart Health to Acquire Telehealth Provider MeMD as it Moves to Expand ‘Focus on Seamless Experience’

BENTONVILLE, Ark., and PHOENIX, Ariz.—Walmart Health and MeMD, a multi-specialty telehealth provider, announced that they have entered into an agreement for Walmart Health to acquire MeMD. This proposed deal will “reinforce Walmart’s commitment to integrated, omnichannel health delivery that leverages data and technology to improve engagement, health equity and outcomes,” the recent announcement noted. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Walmart Health, which debuted in September 2019, is designed to be a “first-of-its-kind health center to deliver primary care, vision care, urgent care, labs, dental, hearing, counseling, x-ray and diagnostics services all in one facility at affordable, transparent pricing regardless of a patient’s insurance status.”

Shopko Optical Hits a Milestone with the Opening of its 100th Eyecare Location and Plans for Further Expansion in 2021

GREEN BAY, Wis.—Shopko Optical, a leading provider of quality eyecare services across the Midwest, opened its 100th location late last month, in its home state of Wisconsin, and has subsequently added three more locations to its retail group. The 100th location is in Hartford Wis., and on Monday, Shopko Optical opened eyecare location #103 in Vadnais Heights, Minn., company executives told VMAIL.

Some Optical Sales Categories Experience a Rebound for Week of May 3 to 9, Jobson Practice Performance Tracker Says

NEW YORK— Following five weeks of declines, some optical sales categories experienced a rebound, increasing nationally over the course of last week, May 3-9, according to the latest Jobson Practice Performance Tracker. On a national basis, contact lenses were up 4 index points, and exams/refractions increased by 1 index point. However, gross revenue remained flat, lens pairs were down 2 index points, and frame units declined by 3 index points.

Click here to view the complete Jobson COVID-19 Performance Tracker

EyeSouth Partners Expands Presence in North Georgia With Georgia Eye Physicians and Surgeons Affiliation

ATLANTA—EyeSouth Partners, a management services organization based here, said Monday that it has completed an affiliation with Georgia Eye Physicians and Surgeons (GEPS) of Duluth, Ga. The affiliation represents EyeSouth’s 10th in the state of Georgia and 23 affiliation overall. The terms of the new partnership were not disclosed. EyeSouth, an eyecare-focused management group, is backed by the private equity firm Shore Capital Partners of Chicago and is committed to partnering with leading physicians to build a premier network of eyecare services in the U.S., the announcement noted.

VM Conversations: Essilor’s Sherianne James Talks With Andrew Karp About the Launch of Crizal Rock

NEW YORK—Essilor’s introduction last month of Crizal Rock affords the company an opportunity to flaunt its R&D capabilities for producing highly durable, easy to clean lenses. Touted by Essilor as “the most scratch-resistant Crizal No-Glare lenses ever made,” Crizal Rock lenses are three times more scratch-resistant than entry-level Crizal products and two times easier to clean than its main competitors after extensive smudging, according to Essilor. Sherianne James, chief marketing officer and senior vice president of customer engagement at Essilor, recently joined Andrew Karp, VM’s lens and tech editor, to discuss the making of Crizal Rock.