Amazon Launches its Telehealth Service Nationwide

Amazon announced yesterday that it’s rolling out the Amazon Care telehealth service nationwide. The pilot program launched in 2019 for employees in and near Amazon’s Seattle headquarters. Amazon Care offers virtual visits, free telehealth consultations, and, for a fee, in-home visits from nurses for tests and vaccinations.
 
The company is also moving in-person care to more U.S. cities. Later this year, Amazon aims to roll out that side of its business in 20 U.S. cities. In-care services are currently offered in in Seattle, Baltimore, Boston, Dallas, Austin, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Arlington.
 
Amazon is capitalizing on the burgeoning demand for in-home care virtually and in-person. The company hopes to gain market share but faces the increasingly crowded space of virtual care.
 
One significant hurdle is for virtual primary care services is health insurance coverage, especially for employer plans paying for workers’ care. Health insurers already collaborate with established telehealth service providers Teladoc and Dr. On Demand for the telehealth platform, but insurers are increasingly rolling out their own programs.
 
Nevertheless, the service is gaining more customers. New customers Silicon Labs, TrueBlue, and Whole Foods Market now offer Amazon Care to employees worldwide.
 
The range of urgent and primary care services include COVID-19 and flu testing, vaccinations, illness and injury treatment, preventive care, sexual health, and prescription requests and refills. If issues can’t be resolved virtually, Amazon Care dispatches a nurse practitioner to the home.
 
“Patients are tired of a healthcare system that doesn’t put them first. Our patient-centric service is changing that, one visit at a time,” Amazon Care director Kristen Helton told the press. “We’ve brought our on-demand urgent and primary care services to patients nationwide. As we grow the service, we’ll continue to work with our customers to address their needs.”