Retail giant Amazon has been making significant strides into the healthcare industry, but not without some defeat — the company has thus far shut down three of its healthcare offerings.
Halo
Most recently, Amazon said it would shutter Halo, its health and fitness device line, starting July 31.
The company did not explain why it decided to shut down this business, but said all of the platforms associated with it, such as the Halo devices and app, will no longer function after Aug. 1.
In addition, employees working with the line will be laid off.
The company only operated for three years.
Amazon Care
Amazon also decided to cease operations of Amazon Care on Dec. 31, 2022.
Neil Lindsay, senior vice president of Amazon Health Services, said this was due to service not living up to its expectations for its enterprise customers, which included Whole Foods, Hilton, Silicon Labs and Precor.
Amazon Care originally launched in 2019 and only operated for two years.
Prior to its shutdown, medical professionals told The Washington Post that Amazon ignored their concerns about its approach to healthcare delivery.
For example, a former telehealth nurse alleged that Amazon Care asked staff to get licensed in multiple states, which led clinicians to lose track of state regulations.
Christina Smith, an Amazon spokesperson, countered, stating that Amazon Care had a team dedicated to keeping track of local regulations.
The shutdown also caused 159 Amazon Care employees to lose their jobs, as well as 236 employees from standalone company Care Medical.
Care Medical employees were in charge of treating Amazon Care patients.
Haven
One of Amazon's first forays into healthcare, Haven, a joint endeavor with JPMorgan and Berkshire Hathaway, also disbanded after only three years.
Haven was designed to lower costs for the companies' employees and improve the primary care experience.
Although the direct cause of Haven's shutdown is unknown, people familiar with the matter said the three founding companies were conducting their own projects with their own employees and didn't really collaborate, according to CNBC.
Brooke Thurston, a spokesperson for Haven, told CNBC that the company made good progress exploring new healthcare solutions, and each company would use the insights learned from Haven to explore their own projects.