Amazon has delayed the rollout of its virtual care service after lawmakers expressed concerns about its privacy practices, Politico reported.
Amazon Clinic plans to hold off on a major promotional campaign until July 19, pushing it back by three weeks, according to an email from a person with direct knowledge of the situation viewed by the news outlet. In the email, the company cited Politico's reporting on a letter it received from U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) saying they were concerned the tech giant may be "harvesting" health data from patients.
The company had intended to launch the service nationwide June 27, according to the June 23 story. It is now available in 33 states.
An Amazon spokesperson, however, denied to Politico any "delay as a result of an external inquiry."
"Amazon Clinic has stringent customer privacy policies, and complies with HIPAA and all other applicable laws and regulations," the spokesperson said. "We're focused on building products and services that our customers love, and we look forward to continuing to bring Amazon Clinic to even more customers to help address their everyday healthcare needs."
The Washington Post reported in May that the service asks users for their "complete patient file" and the data "may be re-disclosed" and thus "no longer be protected by HIPAA."