- Amazon launched a pilot project to provide some healthcare to its workers, called Amazon Care, CNBC reported.
- Amazon Care includes video and text visits with clinicians, as well as in-home care. The program is described as a new benefit for employees of the company and is a pilot project in the Seattle area.
- On its website, Amazon Care offers help with issues like colds, allergies, infections and minor injuries. Preventive health consults and sexual health services are offered along with vaccines and lab work.
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Amazon just launched a virtual primary care clinic, called Amazon Care, the latest sign of the giant retailer's growing ambitions in healthcare.
On Tuesday, the company launched the program on the website Amazon.care. Amazon Care includes video and text visits with clinicians, as well as in-home care. The program is described as a new benefit for employees of the company and is a pilot project in the Seattle area. CNBC's Christina Farr first reported on the launch of the program.
An Amazon spokesperson confirmed that the company is testing Amazon Care and said the aim is to give employees quicker access to care without the need for an appointment.
"The benefit is currently in pilot form for a population of employees in the Greater Seattle area and we're looking forward to helping build and scale the benefit to meet the needs of more employees in the months and years ahead," Amazon said in a memo to employees.
Amazon's growing healthcare ambitions
Amazon, led by CEO Jeff Bezos, has been expanding in healthcare, and separately partnered with JPMorgan and Berkshire Hathaway on an effort to improve care for their workers, called Haven. In June 2018, Amazon acquired the online pharmacy PillPack for $750 million.
Lance Wilkes, an analyst at Bernstein, said in a note that Amazon is disrupting the healthcare industry in multiple ways: as an online pharmacy, by selling medical products, and as a "digital enabler of of healthcare." Wilkes said that telemedicine is a natural fit for the tech giant.
CNBC previously reported that Amazon was working on an employee health clinic based in Seattle. The discussions for the clinic began last summer with a few hires, including a Seattle doctor who ran primary care clinics in Seattle. Apple also has its own clinics, AC Wellness, which are based near its headquarters.
Colds, allergies, and infections
On its website, Amazon Care says it can offer help for colds, allergies, infections and minor injuries. Preventive health consults are offered along with vaccines and lab work. Amazon has partnered with Oasis Medical Group P.C. to provide these services, according to its website
Amazon's health efforts could also potentially overlap with Haven, Wilkes said. The idea is to make primary care access easier, insurance benefits simpler to understand and use, and to make prescription drugs more affordable, Haven's website reads.
Wilkes said digital health could be a key means to ensure the goals come to fruition.
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