50 things to know about Amazon in healthcare

Amazon has been making big moves in healthcare over the past five-plus years.

Here are 50 things to know:

1. Amazon launched Haven Healthcare with Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase in 2018 to lower healthcare costs for their employees and, in turn, the country as a whole.

2. Amazon acquired online pharmacy PillPack in 2018 for about $750 million.

3. The tech giant unveiled Amazon Care, a hybrid healthcare offering for employees, in 2019.

4. Amazon rolled out online pharmacy Amazon Pharmacy in 2020.

5. Haven disbanded in 2021.

6. The Big Tech company debuted telehealth service Amazon Clinic in 2022.

7. Amazon Care ceased operations in 2022.

8. Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger tapped Amazon as its strategic cloud provider in 2022 and said it planned to transition its entire digital portfolio of more than 400 applications and numerous workflows to Amazon Web Services.

9. Boston-based Tufts Medicine worked with Amazon in 2022 to move its entire digital healthcare ecosystem, including its Epic EHR infrastructure, to the cloud.

10. Amazon hired Aaron Martin, the former chief digital officer of Renton, Wash.-based Providence, in 2022 as a vice president of health.

11. Amazon said in 2022 it intended to hire a hospital C-leader whisperer.

12. Sacramento, Calif.-based UC Davis Health collaborated with Amazon Web Services in 2022 to create a Cloud Innovation Center.

13. Amazon increased its lead in the global cloud industry in 2022, in part through its collaborations with leading health systems.

14. The Big Tech company launched a new genomics service, Amazon Omics, in 2022 used by such organizations as Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

15. Amazon launched its RxPass subscription medication service in 2023.

16. The tech giant acquired hybrid primary care company One Medical in 2023 for $3.9 billion.

17. Amazon shuttered Halo, its health and fitness device line, in 2023.

18. Amazon launched One Medical for Prime in 2023, allowing Amazon Prime members to get healthcare for an extra $9 a month.

19. CommonSpirit Health's Virginia Mason Franciscan Health in Seattle partnered with Amazon's One Medical in 2023 so the health system's specialists can provide care to the tech company's primary care patients.

20. Amazon's One Medical teamed up with Edison, N.J.-based Hackensack Meridian Health in 2023.

21. Houston Methodist went live with a pilot in 2023 that connects Amazon's Echo Dot with the health system's Epic EHR.

22. Amazon Pharmacy rolled out prescription drone deliveries in College Station, Texas, in 2023.

23. Amazon Clinic became available across all 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2023.

24. Amazon Pharmacy laid off 80 employees in 2023. 

25. Amazon discounted memberships to One Medical during Prime Day in 2023.

26. Amazon Web Services teamed up with 3M Health Information Systems in 2023 to scale 3M's ambient clinical documentation and virtual assistant tools.

27. Amazon Web Services launched an accelerator program for startups in 2023 aimed at easing healthcare burnout. Somerville, Mass.-based Mass General Brigham, Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Ventures and the American Hospital Association assist with the program.

28. Amazon Pharmacy integrated with One Medical in January to give patients and providers increased access to medication consultations.

29. The tech giant laid off hundreds of employees from One Medical and Amazon Pharmacy in February.

30. Amazon said in February it planned to close some corporate One Medical offices.

31. Amazon launched digital health monitoring services in March via a partnership with Omada Health. Omada's more than 20 million members are eligible to enroll in the service through Amazon.

32. Eli Lilly tapped Amazon Pharmacy in March as a partner to deliver select medications including weight loss drugs directly to consumers' homes.

33. Amazon and Sacramento, Calif.-based UC Davis Health said in April they're using generative AI to counter health misinformation.

34. Amazon opened its first California pharmacy in May.

35. Amazon Clinic General Manager Nworah Ayogu, MD, left the company in May to join Thrive Capital.

36. Amazon rebranded Amazon Clinic in June to Amazon One Medical Pay-per-visit.

37. Amazon Pharmacy expanded RxPass to Medicare beneficiaries in June.

38. Amazon Web Services committed in June to giving $3 million to three healthcare organizations to advance pediatric and children's healthcare. Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C.; Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio; and the Children's Brain Tumor Network at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia will each receive $1 million.

39. Amazon One Medical faced allegations in July it provided guidelines for their employees to use when discussing situations when their call center did not appropriately escalate urgent calls to medical staff.

40. GE HealthCare and Amazon Web Services partnered in July to develop advanced generative AI models and tools aimed at efficiently analyzing complex medical data.

41. In September, Columbia, S.C.-based Prisma Health became the third health system in the country to open a retail market featuring Amazon's "just-walk-out" technology.

42. Providence, R.I.-based Care New England was selected in September to participate in Amazon Web Services' Health Equity Initiative, a $60 million program to develop solutions to advance health equity.

43. Amazon's One Medical reopened a primary care office in New York City in September.

44. Amazon Health Services teamed up with online behavioral healthcare provider Talkspace in September to expand access to mental health services.

45. Amazon One Medical partnered with Cleveland Clinic in October to open a primary care office in northeast Ohio in 2025.

46. Amazon Pharmacy said in October it plans to launch pharmacies in 20 additional cities across the U.S. in 2025.

47. Amazon One Medical rolled out AI tools for its EHR system, 1Life, in October aimed at easing healthcare providers' administrative burdens.

48. Amazon Web Services granted $10 million in October to nine organizations working on children's health innovation, including four U.S. health systems.

49. Amazon's One Medical expanded its collaboration with Dallas-based Baylor Scott & White Health in October via plans to open a fifth office in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

50. Amazon has continued to hire employees to work at its healthcare businesses.

Copyright © 2024 Becker's Healthcare. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Linking and Reprinting Policy.

 

Articles We Think You'll Like

 

Featured Whitepapers

Featured Webinars