Current:Home > Contact-usAmazon takes another shot at health care, this one a virtual care service that costs $9 per month-LoTradeCoin
Amazon takes another shot at health care, this one a virtual care service that costs $9 per month
View Date:2024-12-23 20:10:18
Amazon is taking another shot at becoming a regular health care source for customers with the launch of a service centered on virtual care.
The e-commerce giant says its Prime customers can now get quick access to a health care provider through a program that costs $9 a month or $99 annually.
The announcement arrives less than a year after Amazon announced the $3.9 billion acquisition of the membership-based primary care provider One Medical, which has medical offices in more than 20 markets.
The company has made a number of attempts to incorporate healthcare into its platform and has started building momentum after some initial setbacks.
The company announced in August that it was adding video telemedicine visits in all 50 states to a virtual clinic it launched last year.
Yet Amazon shut down a virtual health care service last summer that it spent years developing, and it was part of a high-profile but failed push to address health care costs in a partnership with two other major companies, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan.
Through the new service, patients will be able to connect virtually around the clock with care providers through its Prime One Medical membership program. The service includes video chats and an option to make in-person visits there are One Medical locations near by.
The company said Wednesday that its membership fee covers the cost for the virtual visits. But customers would have to pay for any visits they make to the company’s One Medical primary care offices. They can use insurance for that.
Virtual care grew popular during the COVID-19 pandemic, and many health care providers have since expanded their telemedicine offerings. It has remained popular as a convenient way to check in with a doctor or deal with relatively minor health issues like pink eye.
While virtual visits can improve access to help, some doctors worry that they also lead to care fragmentation and can make it harder to track a patient’s overall health. That could happen if a patient has a regular doctor who doesn’t learn about the virtual visit from another provider.
veryGood! (85794)
Related
- Kim Kardashian Says She's Raising Her and Kanye West's 4 Kids By Herself
- Top U.N. court won't dismiss Israel genocide case but stops short of ordering Gaza cease-fire
- Super Bowl bound! Taylor Swift shares a kiss with Travis Kelce as Chiefs defeat Ravens: See pics
- Dying thief who stole ‘Wizard of Oz’ ruby slippers from Minnesota museum will likely avoid prison
- Shawn Mendes quest for self-discovery is a quiet triumph: Best songs on 'Shawn' album
- British Museum reveals biggest treasure finds by public during record-breaking year
- 2024 Super Bowl: Odds, TV, date and how to watch San Francisco 49ers-Kansas City Chiefs
- New Orleans jury convicts man in fatal shooting of former Saints player Will Smith
- Reds honor Pete Rose with a 14-hour visitation at Great American Ball Park
- Halle Bailey Fiercely Defends Decision to Keep Her Pregnancy Private
Ranking
- What is best start in NBA history? Five teams ahead of Cavaliers' 13-0 record
- California restaurant incorporates kitchen robots and AI
- Japan PM Kishida is fighting a party corruption scandal. Here’s a look at what it’s about
- Toyota chief apologizes for cheating on testing at group company _ again
- Caitlin Clark shanks tee shot, nearly hits fans at LPGA's The Annika pro-am
- There’s a wave of new bills to define antisemitism. In these 3 states, they could become law
- South Carolina town mayor is killed in a car crash
- North Macedonia parliament approves caretaker cabinet with first-ever ethnic Albanian premier
Recommendation
-
Too Hot to Handle’s Francesca Farago Gives Birth, Welcomes Twins With Jesse Sullivan
-
Demand for minerals sparks fear of mining abuses on Indigenous peoples' lands
-
Coyote with bucket stuck on head rescued from flooded valley south of San Diego
-
CIA Director William Burns to hold Hamas hostage talks Sunday with Mossad chief, Qatari prime minister
-
Officer injured at Ferguson protest shows improvement, transferred to rehab
-
North Korean cruise missile tests add to country’s provocative start to 2024
-
World's largest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, begins its maiden voyage after christening from Lionel Messi
-
'Gray divorce' rates have doubled. But it's a costly move, especially for women