Amazon is moving into health care, its next big market

ronjor · Apr 10, 2019

Christina Farr @chrissyfarr 10 Apr 2019

Amazon could do a lot to fix the broken drug supply chain.
It’s a highly complex market, but it’s worth billions of dollars for Amazon.
Health experts say it’s a matter of time before Amazon sells prescription medicines on its online marketplace.
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guest · Sep 24, 2019

Amazon launches Amazon Care, a virtual medical clinic for employees
September 24, 2019
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/24/amazon-launches-employee-health-clinic-amazon-care.html

Amazon has launched a virtual health clinic with in-home follow-ups for employees in Seattle, dubbed Amazon Care.

Its virtual offering includes an “in-app video visit with a doctor, nurse practitioner, or registered nurse ... for advice, answers, diagnosis, treatment or referrals,” according to the web site. Employees will have an option to see a health provider via a mobile app or website, and they can text a nurse on any health topic in minutes.
Amazon will also prescribe medications via Amazon Care within a few hours, or offer a way for employees to pick them up at a preferred pharmacy.

The company appears to have contracted with a provider called Oasis Medical, which could help ensure that Amazon will not have knowledge of employees’ health conditions. Oasis is a separate legal subsidiary from Amazon, the parent company.
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guest · Oct 1, 2019

Why Amazon Care may be the new model for corporate healthcare
September 30, 2019
https://www.computerworld.com/artic...e-the-new-model-for-corporate-healthcare.html

Fundamentally, corporations are entering the healthcare services market to deal with the rising cost of care related to employee healthcare insurance; the companies say they're simply trying to improve access and convenience.
But the potential for cost-savings is huge.

"A lot of these [corporate] initiatives are mired in secrecy and a lot of the companies don't want to divulge much in detail," said Anurag Gupta, a former physician and vice president of HealthTech Strategy for Gartner. "This is definitely a big area. I expect to see a lot more movement in this direction. Intel is really active in this area."

Vik Panda, who leads U.S. operations for Dreem, a sleep health company based in France, warned that efforts by Amazon and other corporate giants to build internal healthcare systems could eventually strangle the external healthcare system in the U.S.

[...] Panda said in a blog post last week. "If Amazon replaces the existing health care system bit by bit, and employees of self-insured companies migrate to this new digital health system, do we all get to come along?"
Amazon Care, Panda said, represents a wake-up call for providers, payers and employers because telehealth is not just about video chats with a doctor or wearable fitness trackers. "...It's a new operating system for health, and big technology companies are not going to wait for everyone else to figure it out.
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hawki · Oct 23, 2019

"Amazon acquires video doctor-visit company Health Navigator...

'The service eliminates travel and wait time, connecting employees and their family members to a physician or nurse practitioner through live chat or video, with the option for in-person follow up services from a registered nurse ranging from immunizations to instant strep throat detection'..."

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/a...navigator-report-2019-10-23?mod=mw_latestnews

guest · Nov 27, 2019

Amazon’s Alexa can now order prescription refills and remind people to take their medicine
November 26, 2019
https://www.geekwire.com/2019/amazo...cription-refills-remind-people-take-medicine/

Amazon’s digital brain Alexa can now refill prescriptions via voice command and remind people to take their medicine, the latest new initiative in the company’s rapidly expanding healthcare push.

Amazon is teaming with Omnicell, a publicly traded pharmaceutical automation company, and pharmacy chain Giant Eagle for the new voice capability. Amazon plans to expand the program to more pharmacies next year after a learning period following the initial launch.
After downloading the Giant Eagle skill, users say “Alexa, manage my medication” to enter which medicines they take and set regular reminders.

Because of the sensitive nature of the information, Amazon is requiring users of this skill to create a passcode to attach to their Alexa Voice Profile. Voice interactions with this skill are redacted in the Alexa app to maintain privacy.
In recent months, Amazon’s push into healthcare has accelerated rapidly.
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emmjay · Nov 27, 2019

The Amazon seller verification process is riddled with shortcomings and their third party verification process is currently severely wanting. Established health care facilities may be able to pass current muster to go on Amazon Care, but will that be enough to ensure privacy and safety? The scary bit in all this is online pharmacies participating as third party sellers, because many of them have sordid reputations.

The most pressing issue to be resolved before this reaches fruition is counterfeiting. Prescription and over-the-counter medicines are both targeted by counterfeiters. Amazon already struggles with preventing counterfeit products from getting on their site and they have the most inane process for removing them - the original manufacturer has to complain to Amazon that the product is not theirs.

A fake designer handbag may give the impression that you have 'good taste' but a fake medicine will kill you.

guest · Jan 22, 2020

Amazon just filed a bunch of international trademarks for ‘Amazon Pharmacy’
At the end of 2019, it introduced ‘Amazon Pharmacy’ branding to the service
January 21, 2020
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/21/ama...r-amazon-pharmacy-in-uk-australia-canada.html

Amazon has filed to trademark “Amazon Pharmacy” in Canada, the U.K. and Australia, signaling a potential move into selling prescription drugs outside of the U.S.

According to the Canadian Intellectual Property Office website, Amazon filed for the patent on Jan. 9, 2020. The status is listed as pre-formalized. The trademark also lists other areas that Amazon Pharmacy could move into including surgical, medical dental instruments and pharmaceutical as well as medical and veterinary preparations.
The ‘Amazon Pharmacy’ branding is relatively new. PillPack notified its customers at the end of 2019 that it would be including references to the brand in its printed materials and on its labels.
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Filing a trademark doesn’t necessarily mean that international expansion is imminent. But it does suggest Amazon will eventually go global, which is in line with its typical business strategy, and this first crop of trademark filings might signal which countries the company is likely to explore next.
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hawki · Jul 14, 2020

"Amazon is piloting worker healthcare clinics near its warehouses

Amazon this morning announced a partnership with Crossover Health to build worker healthcare facilities near its fulfillment centers. The plan is still in a pilot phase, as the commerce giant employs the services of Crossover, which builds clinics for corporate clients...

Amazon’s first such Neighborhood Health Center has opened in Texas’s Dallas-Fort Worth, potentially serving up to 20,000 employees, half of whom work for Amazon operations. The company says it plans to open 20 such centers in five cities for the initial phase..."

https://techcrunch.com/2020/07/14/amazon-is-piloting-worker-healthcare-clinics-near-its-warehouses/

guest · Aug 15, 2020

Amazon launches online pharmacy in India
August 14, 2020
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53775024

Amazon Pharmacy will make its debut in Bangalore and it may be trialled in other Indian cities.
The move comes as the online drugs business has been given a major boost during the coronavirus pandemic.

“This is particularly relevant in present times as it will help customers meet their essential needs while staying safe at home," an Amazon spokesperson said.
Amazon started its move into pharmaceutical retailing in 2017. The following year it bought US-based home delivery medications startup PillPack.

In January, Amazon filed to trademark the name Amazon Pharmacy in the UK, Australia and Canada.
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ronjor · Nov 17, 2020

Amazon jumps into the pharmacy business with online prescription fulfillment, free delivery for Prime members

Christina Farr@chrissyfarr Annie Palmer@annierpalmer
Nov 17 2020
Amazon is entering the pharmacy business with a new offering called Amazon Pharmacy, allowing customers in the United States to order prescription medications for home delivery, including free delivery for Amazon Prime members.
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guest · Nov 19, 2020

GoodRx Co-CEO Says Amazon Pharmacy Is ‘Complementary,' Not a Competitor
November 18, 2020
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/...mplementary-rather-than-a-competitor/2480014/

Shares of GoodRx, a company that finds users prescription drugs at a discount, plunged this week after Amazon announced online prescription fulfillment.

"The headlines say it's GoodRx versus Amazon, I say no. GoodRx is a marketplace, Amazon is a pharmacy," Hirsch said at CNBC's Disruptor 50 Summit on Wednesday. "People perceive it as going head-to-head with us, but it's not."
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Amazon Pharmacy, meanwhile, will allow customers in the United States to order prescription medications for home delivery. The company will also give Amazon Prime members additional perks, such as free delivery and potential discounts.

"I think they're trying to do what they do best, which is mail order," Hirsch said. "I don't see it as competitive, I see it as complementary."
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stapp · Mar 30, 2023

Amazon Pharmacy looking to lure in customers with coupons.

https://www.neowin.net/news/amazon-pharmacy-looking-to-lure-in-customers-with-coupons/

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