Amazon announces Health Condition Programs for digital health access

At the JPM Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, Amazon announced the launch of its new Health Condition Programs, which allow customers to tap into digital health benefits offered through their employer or insurance carrier, with chronic care management company Omada Health as the company’s launch partner. 

Amazon aims to help individuals access digital health tools that can help them manage chronic conditions, such as diabetes, prediabetes and high blood pressure. 

Founded in 2011, Omada got its start in prediabetes management; however, the company’s services have evolved to include services to help manage diabetes, hypertension, and musculoskeletal conditions. 

The San Francisco-based organization focuses on aiding individuals in managing their health conditions through personalized data-driven behavior change coaching. The platform can also help users keep track of their exercise, diet, blood glucose and other metrics. Patients can access virtual care for support through the platform as well.  

Eligible members of Omada can enroll in the company’s programs for diabetes, diabetes prevention and hypertension through Amazon. 

Individuals can check their eligibility for the program on the Amazon Health webpage.

Amazon said it intends to expand its Health Conditions Programs by partnering with more digital health companies.  

“Amazon wants to make it easier for people to get and stay healthy, and part of that is making it easier to discover the products, services and professionals that can help them do that. Many people aren’t aware of the health care benefits they’re eligible for, that are typically no cost or subsidized by their employer or insurance plan,” Aaron Martin, vice president of healthcare at Amazon, said in a statement. 

“When customers are shopping for health-related products on Amazon, we can surface these additional health care benefits to them to provide even more support in improving their health, at no additional cost.”

THE LARGER TREND

Amazon has long been in the business of advancing digital health. 

The company launched Amazon Care in 2019, a virtual clinic for its own employees, and the service later expanded to outside employers. 

In 2022, however, it shut down Care because, according to senior vice president of Amazon Health Services Neil Lindsay, the telehealth service was “not a complete enough offering for the large enterprise customers we have been targeting, and wasn’t going to work long-term.”

The same year Care closed, Amazon launched Amazon Clinic, a virtual care platform that delivers care for numerous common conditions, including hair loss, heartburn, acne, dandruff and seasonal allergies.

The company also announced it signed a definitive agreement to purchase One Medical for $3.9 billion in 2022. Several months later, the tech and retail giant said the deal was under review by the Federal Trade Commission. 

Last year, Amazon closed its billion-dollar acquisition of the primary care provider. At the time, the Federal Trade Commission issued a statement that said it wouldn’t block the deal but would continue its investigation. 

The company also announced partnerships between One Medical and Employee-focused care navigation and pharmacy benefits platform Rightway last year and with Maven Clinic, which offers virtual care geared toward women and families. 

Meanwhile, in 2022, Omada scored a whopping $192 million in Series E funding, bringing its total raise to more than $256 million.