Amazon’s (Nasdaq: AMZN) in-home care arm is on the move, expanding to more than 20 new cities while rolling out even more care options.
Launched in 2019 as part of a pilot with Amazon’s Seattle-based employees, the Amazon Care model uses virtual and in-person visits from medical professionals to deliver “health care to customers when and where they need it.” The company has already rolled out the service in Boston, Baltimore, Dallas, Los Angeles and several other key markets.
The virtual part of Amazon Care is now nationwide, realizing a plan first revealed in March 2021.
“Amazon Care’s virtual health services are now available nationwide – and in-person services will be rolled out in more than 20 new cities this year,” a Tuesday announcement described. “The expansion comes as we continue to invest in growing our clinical care team and our in-person care services to bring convenient, quality care to more customers across the U.S.”
The expansion shouldn’t come as a surprise, with Business Insider reporting on Amazon’s 2022 growth plans last fall.
Cities marked for expansion include San Francisco, Miami, Chicago and New York City, according to the Amazon announcement. In-person services are already available in at least eight cities.
“Patients are tired of a health care system that doesn’t put them first. Our patient-centric service is changing that, one visit at a time,” Kristen Helton, director of Amazon Care, said. “We’ve brought our on-demand urgent and primary care services to patients nationwide. As we grow the service, we’ll continue to work with our customers to address their needs.”
So far, Amazon Care has been geared toward employers – not the general public or the rapidly growing Medicare population. Some of its newest customers, for example, include Silicon Labs, TrueBlue and Whole Foods Market, the latter of which is a subsidiary of Amazon.
Many expect Amazon Care to eventually make the jump to other markets, however, including Medicare Advantage (MA).
“I sense that [Amazon is] going to focus on chronic disease,” Michael Abrams, managing partner of the global health care consultancy Numerof & Associates, previously told Home Health Care News. “From a population health point of view, that’s where the biggest need lies. That’s where, I think, one of the enormous revenue opportunities lies. If they can contract with, let’s say, Medicare Advantage programs or other coverage programs to focus on that segment of the population, they can make a big impact and have a very compelling value proposition.”
What’s more, some of Amazon’s past moves and hirings suggest it’s already thinking about serving seniors in a more dedicated manner at some point in the future.
Amazon workers previously took a bus tour that involved Green House founder Dr. Bill Thomas to get a crash-course in senior housing and aging services, Senior Housing News reported.
Additionally, in March 2021, SHN reported that Amazon hired Ginna Baik as senior business development manager for senior living.
Amazon was also a founding member of home-based carer advocacy organization Moving Health Home, joining the likes of Signify Health (NYSE: SGFY), Ascension, Home Instead Senior Care and others.
Examples of Amazon Care’s offerings include urgent and primary care services, including COVID-19 and flu testing, as well as vaccinations, treatment of illnesses and injuries, preventive care and more.
When issues can’t be resolved over video, Amazon Care sends a nurse practitioner to patients’ homes for additional support – at least in markets where in-person care is available.
Amazon is currently working with Care Medical to enable the platform.
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