Amazon recently made headlines by offering One Medical 24/7 on-demand virtual care access and limited brick-and-mortar office access for Prime members for a rock-bottom price of just $9 a month. After investing $3.9 billion in the concierge platform for primary care, Amazon has yet to gain the traction it needs to realize a return, many observers believe. While urgent care operators are absorbing the chatter around Amazon and likely struggle to process the real-world threat Amazon presents to their market share, most will continue with business as usual and see few effects if any in 2024, according to Alan Ayers, MBA, MAcc, president of Experity Networks and Practice Management Editor of JUCM.
Look at the evidence: Recall that Amazon quickly gave up on Haven, its clunky joint venture with Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase, as well as Amazon Care, its telehealth service that lasted barely a year and a half. Wearables were also set aside in a hurry when they fizzled out. One Medical and the PillPack mail-order pharmacy are now the two biggest irons Amazon has in the healthcare fire.