Oct 24, 2024

Too Long; Didn't Read A new chapter in Amazon's move into the healthcare industry is upon us — Health Condition Programs. Here's what users should know. Amazon has been salivating at the multitrillion-dollar United States healthcare market since 2018. Although Amazon Health played a vital role in public health during the pandemic, most still don’t view it as a disruptor. A new chapter in the American conglomerate’s move into the industry is upon us — Health Condition Programs. How does this initiative fit into the tech titan’s grand healthcare plan? It’s anybody’s guess. I can only speculate about the countless scenarios surrounding the interplay between Health Condition Programs and Amazon’s diverse solutions. However, the real question we should all be asking is — will it buck the trend of the organization’s cybersecurity, patient safety, and privacy scandals? A Treasure Trove of Patient Data On paper, Health Condition Programs aim to encourage millions of Americans to maximize their unused healthcare features. This mission has merit because over the employee benefits they signed up for. Many American adults might be unaware that they can receive care to manage chronic conditions — such as diabetes and hypertension — between doctor visits at no extra cost to them. Enrolling in these programs allows insured individuals to maximize their coverage and squeeze more value out of the rising premiums or contributions they shoulder. In practice, Health Condition Programs enable the Andy Jassy-led all-encompassing empire to grow its patient data repository by tens of millions. This offering’s coverage check involves eligibility verification, necessitating personal data collection. Enrollees must share their legal name, date of birth, employer’s name, insurer's name, email address, and other sensitive information. This will determine whether their insurance plan or employee benefits cover health programs Amazon’s partners offer. After confirming an applicant is covered, Amazon Health directs the patient to third-party digital health companies — the actual virtual care providers — to complete registration and program enrollment. While Amazon may say it stops collecting personal data after a coverage check, it may still follow patients beyond that point. This Big Tech firm is , so I would be more surprised if it doesn’t monitor the rest of an enrollee’s telehealth journey through a backdoor. Connected devices are notable program features that covered individuals can access. Continuous glucose monitor sensors, blood sugar meters, blood pressure monitors, and smart scales generate personalized quantitative data that A Slowly Expanding Network As disturbing as it is to think that Amazon could acquire bits and pieces of millions of medical records under the table through its Health Condition Programs, this multinational’s reach is proportional to its network’s size. As of October 2024, only two digital health companies have participated — Omada Health and Talkspace. Omada specializes in diabetes prevention, weight management, and hypertension care, while Talkspace delivers virtual therapy and psychiatric care. Between the two, insured Americans can choose from only three programs. It’s unclear why Amazon Health could only ink two partnerships in nine months — a departure from the online retail behemoth’s “Get Big Fast” mantra. I bet telehealth providers would move mountains to be in this exclusive club, so Amazon must have been overly selective about its partners for reasons unknown. Only time will tell if Amazon will bring more digital health companies into its fold sooner rather than later. A safe guess is that it would prioritize partner diversity to prevent cannibalization and harvest data with variety. A New Piece to the Amazon Health Care Strategy Puzzle Amazon plays the long game. For all we know, it might envision itself as the savior of health care — the ultimate medical data synthesizer the sector sorely needs. It’s impossible to connect all the dots when many of them haven’t come to light. Still, recognizing this offering’s potential value to this tech colossus isn’t brain surgery. If Health Condition Programs gain currency and the number of participating digital health companies on the network balloons, the company will better understand our health needs. These insights can be the rising tide that lifts the boats in the Amazon Health sub-ecosystem and other related subsidiaries. A quick thought experiment would reveal that more program enrollees could increase Amazon One Medical’s in-person visits. Health Condition Programs almost always require a prior medical diagnosis. Health care professionals on the network — health coaches, licensed therapists and psychiatrists, nutritionists, dieticians, and personal care specialists — could help train AWS HealthScribe with large volumes of recordings. The aim would be to churn out error-free transcripts and clinical notes consistently. The company could expand Alexa’s footprint by integrating its partners’ services into the voice assistant. It’s a tried-and-true move, as evidenced by the in 2022. Prescriptions from digital health companies can also boost Amazon Pharmacy’s sales. Analyzing mountains of medical data can shed light on the usual indicators of events that can endanger patients’ lives. Tech-forward hospitals have taken this route. They proved it’s feasible to predict signs of upcoming acute events — which increase the chances of patient mortality — early enough to address them before they happen. Amazon can do the same thing for people living with chronic diseases. It can mobilize Whole Foods to make healthier food options more widely available to those who need them most. Accessible healthy grocery items empower chronically ill individuals to meet their unique nutritional needs and keep symptoms manageable. Are Health Condition Programs a Scandal Waiting to Happen? Amazon’s venture into health care has been riddled with controversies. In 2023, hackers successfully victimized more than 19,000 PillPack customers, stealing their names, residential addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. About