Dr. Sunita Mishra, a self-confessed exhausted doctor, longs for an era in which the doctor-patient relationship is restored. So, what better place to transform care delivery than Amazon Care, the retail giant’s hybrid care division? Amazon appears to be boldly embarking on a lesser-known path and is actually trying to practice medicine, unlike the big tech companies that have so far focused on using technology to transform care.
“They talk about being obsessed with customers and getting rewards from them. It’s true,” Mishra said of Amazon’s business philosophy at the recently concluded ViVE conference. “They know how to use technology and services in the last mile — it’s both technology and service — so I think they understand very well how both can contribute to an amazing customer experience. So for healthcare providers to come Say, I think Amazon is a great home because we actually know how to do both.”
However, there aren’t many details she’s willing to share about Amazon Care’s efforts to transform employer-funded primary care. Mishra won’t tell us how many clinicians make up the Care Medical team [a LinkedIn search shows that there are 58 employees on the professional networking group, including nurses, physicians and even a recruiter] And we don’t know how many self-insured employer customers the company has [beyond the trickle of names that have come out through news releases.]
Does Amazon Care use Epic or Cerner as its EHR system? Mishra gave a vague response.
“So, we’re using a combination of tools that are commercially available and tools that we’ve built, and that’s again our starting point, and we’re going to keep improving that will allow us to offer patients an experience that raises the bar,” she said.
Only one thing is clear: Care Medical wants to bring convenience and the same customer experience to primary care that consumers are used to when shopping on Amazon.com.
What was that experience like? Amazon Care has begun offering care to self-insured customers, so employees of companies that have signed up for the service can download the app, answer a few questions, and connect to a provider in minutes if necessary.
“We made it too easy. Just push a button and answer two questions [on the app] It’s the care you need or the advice you need,” Mishra declared. “And I think the challenge is that it needs to be simple. And I think for a company that’s thinking about giving back from customers, we’ve actually been able to put a lot of focus on that, and being precise about when and how to the seconds and minutes is what we’re after. “
But would this approach place an undue burden on doctors?After all, Amazon warehouse workers Known to pay a heavy price Inhumane working conditions to satisfy the insatiable appetite of American consumers during the pandemic. Would a great doctor who understands the business philosophy that drives speed and convenience want to join Care Medical?
“I was an exhausted primary care physician many years ago and it was like my life mission was to create a system of care where we wouldn’t burn out another generation of doctors and nurses and nurse practitioners and what we’re going to be Join our team in any other role you have held,” Mishra said.
Specifically, she said she’s taking a closer look at the timeline and how best to create meaningful connections between clinicians and patients.
“If you’re emptying the doctor’s soul, you’re not going to be able to provide good healthcare. It’s an area I’m very focused on. Clinician involvement is like my second priority, and I actually set myself a A standard comparable to the patient experience to make sure we’re making sure we’re creating a great clinician experience so that we can deliver meaningful care, because if you’re empty, you can’t be empathetic and caring,” she declared.
Still, our goal is not to have patients wait on screens or other appointments, which should help drive adoption of Amazon Care. But Mishra wouldn’t say how many patient interactions — both hybrid and in-person — took place at Care Medical.
What she will reveal is that the company is looking for people who don’t necessarily have a dedicated primary care physician who sees it every year.
“Our use case is great for people who are time-critical and have a hard time getting care their way. So that’s why I think our care is a little bit different because we’re really focusing on those who might not be adequate in the first place people who take advantage of care,” she explained. “The clients we want are clients who have never actually sought care because primary care is not convenient. It doesn’t fit in your life. I am a primary care physician and haven’t had a primary care physician for years because when I When calling for care, they told me, ‘I can arrange for you Wednesday at 2pm’ and I thought, ‘That won’t fit my schedule.’”
The app can also determine if care is even needed—often, the answers users enter can lead it to provide adequate advice without the need for telehealth visits or in-person appointments.
“When they do need a provider, we can usually connect them to one within minutes. If we need additional diagnostic care, we can send someone to their home or office,” Mishra said. “Before the pandemic, we used to make sure the office space was able to provide care in a way that is convenient for you.”
Convenience factor and ease of use are what Mishra hopes to increase access to care for those who traditionally avoid regular doctor visits
“So I think by having companies like Amazon join [in delivering care] Try to think about providing access at scale, I think it’s good for everyone because if we’re all thinking about customers, more access is better…” Mishra said.
While expanding access might be a good thing, Amazon is targeting employer-sponsored populations that are healthier and younger than older, chronically ill people who are responsible for most of their health care bills. Also, if influencing and expanding healthcare is what Amazon is after, why not try rural healthcare where hospitals are razor-thin margins and made worse by the Covid-19 crisis.
“Well, when we started, it was originally an idea to better serve Amazon’s people. That’s where we started,” Mishra countered. “You have to start somewhere, and I think what we’re learning in the space we’re in will allow us to continue to hear what our customers are looking for, no matter what industry they’re in, hopefully we’ll be able to serve those people as well, But we have to start somewhere.”
Photo: Amazon Care
Editor’s Note: MedCity News is a partner of HLTH, the organizer of the ViVE conference.
