Amazon Care Telemedicine Program: Here's What You Need To Know

Over the past 18 months, Amazon has piloted a telecare program in Seattle, where the company is headquartered. On Wednesday, the online retail giant announced it would roll out the program to the entire country in the summer.

Amazon Care is a telemedicine program that began as an exclusively tool for company employees and families. After its successful test run, the program will extend to larger corporations and private employers.

The service can be an add-on to any current health care plans or as part of a company's benefits.

There’s already an app developed for the program that provides live chats and video calls with a nurse or a doctor 24-hours a day. In Seattle, a user can request a house call, which involves a medical professional visiting a home to handle necessary tests or exams.

“Making this available to other employers is a big step,” Amazon Care Director Kristen Helton told the Associated Press. “It's an opportunity for other forward-thinking employers to offer a service that helps bring high-quality care, convenience and peace of mind.”

The user experience appears straight forward. Patients log in to their own account on the Amazon Care app and answer a few questions to get matched with the right doctor or nurse, who are health care provider from Care Medical, a contracted company. The full process takes about a minute.

This is the latest health care venture for Amazon, a company with a market capitalization of about $1.6 trillion. In June 2018, Amazon acquired online pharmacy PillPack for under $1 billion.