Amazon Health Launches New Initiative To Address Chronic Conditions

Forbes Innovation Healthcare Amazon Health Launches New Initiative To Address Chronic Conditions Sai Balasubramanian, M.D., J.D. Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I write about clinical medicine, innovation in healthcare, and health policy. Following Click to save this article.

You'll be asked to sign into your Forbes account. Got it Jan 8, 2024, 09:05am EST Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin A physician holds a patient's hand. getty Amazon Health announced today its latest push to improve care for chronic conditions with the launch of “ Health Condition Programs .” The initiative enables customers to discover digital health benefits to help manage chronic conditions such as pre diabetes, diabetes, hypertension, etc.

For this initial launch, Amazon Health is partnering with digital health company Omada Health. Through this new service, customers can first determine if their insurance plan or benefits package covers a Health Condition Program; if they are determined to be covered for a program and also clinically eligible for that program, they can then get access to specific features that are covered by their plan, including health management via devices (e.g., continuous glucose monitors, blood pressure monitors, etc.), personalized virtual health coaching, access to exclusive forums, and much more.

Notably, Omada’s work with Amazon Health as the first partner for this program is timely, as Omada has gained significant traction in recent years for its groundbreaking work in leveraging virtual care solutions and digital innovation to help address chronic conditions. The service uses integrated care pathways and a personalized approach via one on one support and custom built health plans to engage with members to help manage their health, provide insights and analytics on their progress, and address their long term and holistic needs.

Through this partnership, Amazon Health hopes to provide numerous customers with access to health programs and care management services that they might not even know they have access to. In the coming months, the company will likely foster even more partnerships with other digital health companies, expanding their scope of coverage for both services provided and members that can benefit from these services.

The timing of this launch is apt, given Amazon Health’s trailblazing efforts to disrupt and bring innovation to healthcare in recent years. Aaron Martin, Vice President of Healthcare at Amazon, thoughtfully explains 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…When customers are shopping for health related products on Amazon, we can surface these additional benefits to provide even more support in improving their health, at no additional cost.” MORE FOR YOU How Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra Will Change Smartphones Forever Huge Bitcoin ETF Insider Leak Powers Bitcoin Price Surge Over 45 000 After 1 6 Trillion Ethereum XRP Solana And Crypto Boom How Will A Bitcoin Spot ETF Affect Bitcoin s Price A physician measures a patient's blood pressure manually.

getty Providing access to care for chronic conditions is likely one of the most important things that can be done to improve long term health outcomes. In a ground breaking study published in Public Health Reports, it was found that the prevalence of multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) among Americans has become recognized as a severe public health and medical challenge, given that “people with MCC suffer suboptimal health outcomes and incur rising health care expenses.” Specifically, the study authors discuss how “The number of chronic conditions in an individual is directly related to risks of adverse outcomes ranging from mortality, poor functional status, unnecessary hospitalizations, adverse drug events, and duplicative tests, to conflicting medical advice.” Similarly, an article published in the American Journal of Managed Care explains that patients with MCCs often have significant barriers that limit their care, including “Health care delivery system structural limitations, evidence based care concerns, patient clinician relationship constraints, and barriers to inclusion of patient centered priorities.” This is a big reason why more non traditional players are moving into the healthcare delivery space— realizing that there is a huge opportunity to make an impact and meaningfully change outcomes in the community.

Take for example Walmart Health , which has rapidly scaled its clinical offerings over the last 2 years. Similarly, CVS and Walgreens have both invested significant resources to enable front line care delivery. Despite the competition, Amazon is leaning on its years of industry experience with consumer technology and customer service excellence to carve a niche for itself.

Therefore, although the evidence is increasingly clear that there needs to be more emphasis and efforts to improve chronic care management, the work is just getting started. Initiatives like this by Amazon Health have the potential and promise to make a true difference in this arena for millions of people.

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