Seattle-headquartered Amazon Inc. has launched the text message-based Amazon Clinic in 32 states, including three in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine, to treat more than 20 common conditions including hair loss, acne, and allergies.
“We developed Amazon Clinic because we believe that treating a migraine shouldn’t be a headache,” said Dr. Nworah Ayogu, chief medical officer at Amazon Pharmacy. “Healthcare should be as easy and convenient as any other part of your life.”
The clinic’s homepage shows a person on a garden bench, presumably texting symptoms to a provider. Amazon Clinic doesn’t provide direct service but connects people with virtual providers SteadyMD and HealthTap.
Patients select their condition from a list. They then choose a telehealth provider – price and wait times are listed. Next, they answer an intake questionnaire. The provider reviews the information and creates a treatment plan, which is texted to the patient, and includes any necessary prescriptions, sent to a pharmacy of the patient’s choosing.
“It’s just another evolution in this retail thinking that’s coming into healthcare, and trying to create products that can cater to patient needs and wants,” said Timothy Hoff, author of "Searching for the Family Doctor: Primary Care on the Brink." “I do think it will fill a need in the marketplace,” Hoff said.
In a mock walkthrough of the service, Connecticut Public Radio chose “sinusitis” from a list of conditions it was shown on a checklist. The suggested treatment was appropriate if: the patient had fewer than 3 sinus infections in the past year, the infection was new and not ongoing, and did not require a previous, full dose of antibiotic. Also, symptoms should have begun no longer than a month ago. Next, came price-shopping.
A consultation with HealthTap for sinusitis was priced at $47, and had a response time of under 5 hours. SteadyMD was cheaper at $30, and had a response time of under 4 hours.
Amazon is betting that convenience will be the selling point. The retailer notes in its press release that people can interact with a doctor from home, after dinner, at the grocery store, or on the go.
Hoffman had a word of caution. In the absence of insurance, “there’s going to be price competition among the providers,” he said. “So the danger there is it could lead to sort of a lowballing of price, which could lead to poor quality of service delivery.”
The process has no video chat, just text. Patients pay a flat fee with a debit card, or submit a receipt to their own insurer for reimbursement.
The latest offering adds to Amazon’s expansion into healthcare through Amazon Pharmacy and One Medical.
Amazon is on track to shut down operations at Amazon Care, the virtual and in-home health care service it launched for its employees, by year-end.
