Amazon to widen Amazon Care service availability

Amazon is taking its health care offerings to new places. The company announced plans to roll out Amazon Care, its on-demand healthcare service across the United States this summer, according to a StreetInsider report.

The move follows the launch 18 months ago of Amazon Care to provide Amazon employees and their families immediate access to high-quality medical care.

Amazon Care has two components. The first is virtual care, which connects patients to medical professionals via the Amazon Care app (available for both Android and iOS) and allows patients to quickly, conveniently, and confidently chat live with a nurse or doctor, via in-app messaging or video.

The second component is in-person care, where Amazon Care can dispatch a medical professional to a patient’s home for additional care, ranging from routine blood draws to listening to a patient’s lungs, and also offer prescription delivery right to a patient’s door.

Until now, Amazon Care has been exclusively available to Amazon employees and their families in Washington state, but as of today, it is now available to other Washington-based companies.

Additionally, this summer, Amazon Care will expand its virtual care to companies and Amazon employees in all 50 states across the U.S.

On the other hand, the in-person service will expand to Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and other cities in the coming months. 

By supplying Amazon Care as a workplace benefit, employers are investing in the health and well-being of arguably their most important asset: their employees. Amazon Care enables employers to provide access to high-quality medical care within 60 seconds for employees, including options for care around the clock through messaging or video. Amazon Care gives instant access to a range of urgent and primary care services, including COVID-19 and flu testing, vaccinations, treatment of illnesses and injuries, preventive care, sexual health, prescription requests, refills, and delivery, and much more.

Amazon Care addresses a wide spectrum of patient needs through its primary care and urgent care offerings. Patients can access preventive care such as annual vaccinations, health screenings, and lifestyle advice. The service also supports patients’ wellness needs, including nutrition, pre-pregnancy planning, sexual health, help to quit smoking, and more. For immediate needs, patients can use Amazon Care to assess and treat illnesses and injuries on demand.

For continuity of care, the program’s secure, HIPAA-compliant service also allows employees and their dependents to see the same dedicated teams of medical professionals, which creates long-term relationships that benefit overall health. This is particularly important for recurring prescriptions and in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, and hypertension.

Patients also have tools to manage their care within the app—including scheduling follow-up visits with their preferred clinician, at their convenience. After visits, patients receive care summaries and follow-up reminders. When using the in-person option, patients also receive live updates on the estimated time of their clinician’s arrival to their home.