Health
Amazon to Shut Down Amazon Care at the End Of 2022
(CTN News) – Amazon is shutting down its telehealth service, Amazon Care, marking a major retreat from its health care ambitions.
A company email from Amazon Health Services lead Neil Lindsay announced Wednesday that the service will be shut down after Dec. 31.
According to Lindsay, the e-commerce giant made the move after determining it wasn’t “the right long-term solution for our enterprise customers.”
“This decision wasn’t made lightly and came after months of careful consideration,” Lindsay said.
Amazon Care to shut down, ‘not a complete enough offering’, Says Neil Lindsay
“Our enrolled members have loved many aspects of Amazon Care, but it is not a complete enough offering for the large enterprise customers we have been targeting.”
Despite its end, Amazon gained a deeper understanding of “what’s needed long-term to deliver meaningful health care solutions for enterprises and individuals,” Lindsay wrote.
A pilot program called Amazon Care was launched in Seattle in 2019. As well as free telehealth consults and in-home visits by nurses for testing and vaccinations, the service provides virtual urgent care.
It took several years to develop. WSJ reported that Amazon held a secret meeting in Seattle in 2017 to learn more about patient care. A pilot clinic was then started by a small group of doctors.
Amazon Care rolled out its virtual offerings nationwide in February, signaling greater ambitions for the service.
Amazon Care’s traction is unclear. Amazon Care vice president Babak Parviz said multiple companies were interested in using the service last June.
The company’s corporate customers include Hilton, Silicon Labs, TrueBlue, and Whole Foods.
As CEO Andy Jassy has committed to making inroads in health care, Amazon is sunsetting the service. Amazon acquired boutique primary care provider One Medical last month.
It has also developed at-home diagnostics. In addition, The Wall Street Journal reported Amazon is bidding for Signify Health.
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