Photos: Amazon
Amazon.com has introduced Amazon Care, a new medical service for employees in the area around its Seattle headquarters that are enrolled in one of the company’s health insurance plans.
In true Amazon fashion, the new program takes advantage of technology to offer medical care solutions for workers, including care chat, an in-app text feature whereby employees can ask nurses healthcare questions, and video care, a telemedicine program featuring doctors and nurses discussing symptoms and concerns and providing diagnosis and treatment plans.
Amazon’s pilot also includes mobile care, a service that deploys nurses to employees’ homes or offices to conduct exams and/or administer treatment. If a worker needs prescription medicines, Amazon’s care courier service will deliver what’s needed right to the home or office, as well.
Current service hours for the Amazon Care pilot are 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekends. Amazon plans to extend service hours going forward.
Amazon Care, according to CNBC, grew out of Amazon’s announcement last year that it would join with Berkshire Hathaway and J.P. Morgan Chase to form Haven, an initiative focused on lowering the costs associated with healthcare without cutting service corners.
The same CNBC report points out that Amazon isn’t alone in offering healthcare services for employees. Apple operates clinics under the AC Wellness banner near its headquarters in Cupertino, CA.