Earlier this year, Amazon moved into the medicafiled by buying One Medical offers in-office and 24/7 virtual care services, on-site labs, and programs for preventive care, chronic care management, common illnesses, and mental health concerns.
Amazon says it is looking to deliver exceptional health care to more people to achieve better health outcomes, better care experiences, and more value, within a better care team environment.
The new service will start at the discounted price of $144 for the first year (regularly $199/year), the equivalent of $12 per month, to new customers. Redeem the One Medical membership promotion and learn more about what’s included.
With this membership, Amazon says you can get:
- Access to offices in many U.S. cities and the ability to schedule a remote visit with your provider
- Appointments that start on time
- Drop-in lab services at One Medical offices
- Message a provider in the app
- Compassionate doctors and providers who take time to listen
Now, Walmart is reportedly about to do the same by taking a majority share of the primary care chain ChenMed, according to a report from Bloomberg. ChenMed already has primary care locations in 15 states, including Florida, Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina, and more. A partnership with Walmart could help it expand its locations to even more areas.
ChenMed currently focuses mostly on healthcare of seniors but could easily expand its model to those of all ages. Chen Med claims it has reduced ER visits by 33% and increased the in-person time for doctors and patients by 10 times that it was before.
Walmart’s purchase of ChenMed will need to be approved by regulators but if approved could help Walmart compete with Amazon as the two companies expand into health care.