Amazon announced Thursday that it will acquire One Medical, the primary healthcare company in the United States, for $3.9 billion, in a move the online retail giant moves into the medical sector.
The giant has steadily expanded its business beyond e-commerce, and earlier this year said its telemedicine service was expanding nationwide in the US.
“We believe healthcare is high on the list of experiences that need to be reinvented,” said Neil Lindsay, senior vice president of Amazon Health Services.
“We see a lot of opportunities to improve the quality of the experience and give people valuable time in their days,” he added.
One Medical, which operates a network of primary care practices and telemedicine services, has grown in recent years to more than 750,000 members.
The news comes following Amazon announced in February the expansion of Amazon Care, which was first launched in 2019 to provide group employees with access to doctors.
The technology company said: The service combines virtual visits to doctors or members of the nursing body using the “Amazon Care” mobile application and personal care by medical staff sent to patients’ homes.
The telemedicine sector has grown with restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic, and Americans are using it regarding 38 times compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to a report issued by “McKinsey & Company” in July.
Meanwhile, Americans usually get their health insurance through their jobs; So the current US employment crisis has prompted employers to offer increasingly attractive benefits.
The giant has steadily expanded its business beyond e-commerce, and earlier this year said its telemedicine service was expanding nationwide in the US.
“We believe healthcare is high on the list of experiences that need to be reinvented,” said Neil Lindsay, senior vice president of Amazon Health Services.
“We see a lot of opportunities to improve the quality of the experience and give people valuable time in their days,” he added.
One Medical, which operates a network of primary care practices and telemedicine services, has grown in recent years to more than 750,000 members.
The news comes following Amazon announced in February the expansion of Amazon Care, which was first launched in 2019 to provide group employees with access to doctors.
The technology company said: The service combines virtual visits to doctors or members of the nursing body using the “Amazon Care” mobile application and personal care by medical staff sent to patients’ homes.
The telemedicine sector has grown with restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic, and Americans are using it regarding 38 times compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to a report issued by “McKinsey & Company” in July.
Meanwhile, Americans usually get their health insurance through their jobs; So the current US employment crisis has prompted employers to offer increasingly attractive benefits.
(AFP)
