Notes on News: Amazon / One Medical Deal
In case you missed the news: The Amazon acquisition of One Medical officially closed on February 22. In one of our recent newsletters, we talked about Amazon’s entrance into the medical world through Amazon Clinic–which provides quick treatments for common conditions in 20 states.
But up until now, Amazon hasn’t entered the in-person care space. Now, that’s changing with this direct-to-consumer model.
First, let’s talk about One Medical. They are a membership based primary care company. Right now, they have in-person locations in 20 major U.S. cities. To incentivize new sign-ups, One Medical is offering annual memberships for $144 for the first year (down from $199).
Membership includes:
✅ 24/7 access to on-demand video care (cost included in the monthly fee)
✅ Booking same/next-day appointments via the app (billable to insurance)
✅ On-site lab services
They also promise that their membership includes appointments that start on time and last longer, non-rushed appointments. In theory, this type of model has the potential to improve access to primary care, offering patients an easier experience.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said, “If you fast forward 10 years from now, people are not going to believe how primary care was administered. For decades, you called your doctor, made an appointment three or four weeks out, drove 15-20 minutes to the doctor, parked your car, signed in and waited several minutes in reception, eventually were placed in an exam room, where you waited another 10-15 minutes before the doctor came in, saw you for five to ten minutes and prescribed medicine, and then you drove 20 minutes to the pharmacy to pick it up—and that’s if you didn’t have to then go see a specialist for additional evaluation, where the process repeated and could take even longer for an appointment.”
Whether Amazon’s envisioned future will become a reality is yet to be seen, but the acquisition definitely has the potential to cause large changes to the primary care model. Tell us what you think!
