BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Wal­mart is delving deeper into virtual health with the planned acquisition of MeMD, an 11-year-old company that says it provides around-the-clock telehealth services to 5 million members across the United States.

Walmart said the deal, which is subject to regulatory approval, will allow its Walmart Health unit to extend its footprint nationwide.

“Telehealth offers a great opportunity to expand access and reach consumers where they are and complements our brick-and-mortar Walmart Health locations. Today people expect omnichannel access to care, and adding telehealth to our Walmart Health care strategies allows us to provide in-person and digital care across our multiple assets and solutions,” said Dr. Cheryl Pegus, executive vice president of Health & Wellness at Walmart. “Our Health & Wellness mission is to focus on the consumer’s seamless experience and improved health. We are excited to welcome MeMD employees to the Walmart family, and we are looking forward to together accelerating health care access across the country.”

The telehealth sector, which was growing before the pandemic, has become increasingly competitive as private equity investors and retailers, including Walgreens, CVS Health, Sam’s Club and Amazon, seek to entrench their footholds in the sector, often via tie-ups or acquisitions with established players. Among the recently acquired startups are MDLive, PlushCare, 98point6 and Doctor on Demand.

Amazon in March announced an expansion of its Amazon Care health care service to non-Amazon employees, initially in Washington state and then nationwide later this year. Amazon also said it planned to expand the in-person at-home care component of the service in several cities. Amazon also operates Amazon Pharmacy, an online pharmacy that leverages its 2018 acquisition of PillPack. Haven, a high-profile joint venture Amazon entered with JP Morgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway to explore solutions that could make the $3 trillion U.S. health care system more efficient, was shut down in February.

MeMD was founded in 2010 by Dr. John Shufeldt to provide virtual care nationwide, leveraging the latest online technologies to deliver care in a convenient and accessible manner. “We’ve achieved incredible strides in making health care available to individuals and businesses around the country through our easy, affordable and intuitive online platform. We can’t imagine a better partner than Walmart, as we are both committed to innovative health care delivery and bringing affordable, high-quality care to as many people as possible,” said MeMD chief executive officer Bill Goodwin. “MeMD’s mission fits perfectly with Walmart’s dedicated focus to help people save money and live better.”