Amazon is expanding the regional reach of its Amazon Clinic virtual service to all 50 states and Washington, DC.
This decision is part of the company’s efforts to promote the development of the healthcare system. The service was launched in November. The company stated that within the framework of this project, the goal is to ensure interaction between medical professionals and patients who need treatment for diseases classified as widespread, such as infections of the paranasal sinuses, acne, and conjunctivitis. Amazon Clinic’s form of existence is a virtual messaging platform. In this case, it is most correct to define the interaction of doctors and patients as a consultative activity, since the format of their communication is remote.
Last Tuesday, August 1, the company announced in its blog that the functionality of the service will be expanded by adding the possibility of video consultations. In 34 states, communication between doctors and patients in the format of text messaging will also be available. The company notes that the interaction of service customers with medical professionals is carried out without prior conditions of registration and insurance. Prescriptions necessary for the treatment of the disease can be prescribed by patients at any pharmacy, including those that are part of the Amazon ownership structure and are engaged in registration and delivery.
Dr. Nworah Ayogu, chief physician and general manager of Amazon Clinic, says that this service removes barriers that, as part of the standard practice of interaction between patients and medical professionals, complicate the solution to eliminate everyday malfunctions in the organism’s functioning.
The Internet giant is currently actively implementing efforts aimed at expanding the scale of its own presence in the healthcare sector. This year, the company acquired 1Life Healthcare Inc., which operates a network of One Medical primary care clinics. The value of this transaction was $3.49 billion. The Internet giant also operates a virtual pharmacy that sends medical supplies by mail.
In December, the company stopped Amazon Care, a telemedicine and home visits service that was offered to employees of the Internet giant and sold by the corporate benefits department.
Amazon also collaborated with JPMorgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway to create a kind of corporate system for providing medical services and insurance at low prices to employees of these three firms. These efforts for the most part remained a project at the level of an idea and were finally discontinued in 2021.
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