Amazon Clinic launches in 50 states, DC
Amazon Clinic launches in 50 states, DC unknown
Amazon Clinic, a direct-to-consumer telehealth marketplace, is expanding to all 50 states and Washington D.C., the tech giant said on Tuesday.
The direct-to-consumer telehealth service gives users access to third-party providers for non-urgent health conditions ranging from pink eye to urinary tract infections. Amazon, which first launched the service in November 2022, initially made it available in 32 states.
With this expansion, Amazon said synchronous telehealth video consultations will be available to patients in 50 states and Washington D.C., costing an average of $75 per visit. Message-based asynchronous consultations will be offered in 34 states at an average cost of $35 per visit. Depending on the state in which a patient is located, the service will connect users to appointments via messaging or a video call.
The service does not accept insurance for visits, but users can choose to use FSA or HSA funds for payment. Costs of a particular consult will be shared with members beforehand, Amazon Clinic’s chief medical officer and general manager Dr. Nworah Ayogu said in the November blog post announcing the service.
Three of the four outside providers the service has relied on, Curai, SteadyMD and Wheel Health, operate in all 50 states through other distribution networks. The fourth provider, Hello Alpha, operates in 49 states except Indiana.
In a February interview, Ayogu said Amazon has received interest from a lot of telehealth companies to join the marketplace. He said the company has a rigorous process that partners go through before putting them on the platform.
The move is Amazon’s latest foray into healthcare. In January, the company launched a generic drug subscription service aimed at consumers with common conditions like high blood pressure, acid reflux or anxiety. Amazon also has its online pharmacy that was launched in 2020 and grew out of the company’s 2018 acquisition of PillPack. Amazon Clinic users can fulfill prescriptions through the big tech company's pharmacy service although it's not required, the company said.
In February, the company closed its $3.9 billion acquisition of primary care company One Medical.
Amazon has had a few high-profile misses in healthcare as well. One month after the July acquisition of One Medical, Amazon announced it was shutting down its Amazon Care service at the end of 2022. Its joint healthcare-specific venture with J.P. Morgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway disbanded in 2021.