Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Amazon To Open Its Internal Telehealth System To All US Companies
ABC News: Amazon Jumps Into Health Care With Telemedicine Initiative
Amazon is making its first foray into providing health care services, announcing Wednesday that it will be offering its Amazon Care telemedicine program to employers nationwide. Currently available to the company's employees in Washington state, Amazon Care is an app that connects users virtually with doctors, nurse practitioners and nurses who can provide services and treatment over the phone 24 hours a day. In the Seattle area, it's supplemented with in-person services such as pharmacy delivery and house-call services from nurses who can take blood work and provide similar services. (Barakat, 3/17)
The Washington Post: Amazon Expands Its In-House, On-Demand Health-Care Service, Care, To Other Companies
Amazon said Wednesday it will offer its on-demand health-care service to other companies, a step forward in tech giants’ ambitions to play a larger role in the space. For years, Amazon, Google, Apple and others have been slowly creeping into health care, prompting privacy concerns because of the large amount of data the companies already have on users — from searches on health conditions to monitoring info from wearable devices. (Lerman, 3/17)
USA Today: Amazon's Telehealth Program Will Be Available Across U.S. This Summer
Amazon's virtual health care service, Amazon Care, will be available to all U.S. companies and Amazon employees starting this summer, according to a statement published by the retail giant. The telehealth service is currently available to Amazon employees and employees of companies in Washington who supply Amazon Care. The app, available for iOS and Android, virtually connects employees and their families to medical professionals allowing patients to live chat with a nurse or doctor via in-app messaging or video. (Murphy Marcos, 3/17)
Also —
Stat: What Amazon Care’s Expansion Means For The Telehealth Industry
Amazon is officially starting its ascent to the national telehealth stage — and its nationwide expansion is putting the rest of the telemedicine industry on notice. The company announced a sweeping expansion on Wednesday of Amazon Care, its virtual and in-person health care platform. Amazon will offer telehealth services to its own employees nationwide this summer and will also make in-person care available in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. (Brodwin, 3/18)
Stat: Backed By Amazon, New Coalition Lobbies For Home Care Policy Changes
The telehealth boom has made one thing clear: The era of health care provided exclusively within the confines of a clinic or hospital is over. In the hopes of making the shift to virtual care more permanent, Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firm Sirona Strategies formed a coalition earlier this month called Moving Health Home. (Brodwin, 3/18)
