Dr. Amazon!

[ImaCheesehead]

Just got this email from Amazon. Would you use Amazon Clinic?

AMAZON CLINIC

Find treatment for common health concerns with Amazon Clinic—no visits or video calls needed.

How Amazon Clinic works

STEP 1
Choose a concern
Choose from a list of more than 20 everyday health concerns. We'll ask some questions about your symptoms and health history.

STEP 2
Message with a clinician
A clinician will review your answers and reach out with any questions.

STEP 3
Receive your personalized treatment
Your clinician will send your treatment plan, including a prescription, if you need one.

 

[Another Reader]

No. Just no. Imagine taking a complex or critical issue to someone that you never met who will e-mail you a plan and a prescription, based on some questions.

 

[Aerides]

If I was travelling, or had some issue and couldn't see my doc, and knew what I needed - maybe?

Thinking.. Pinkeye, UTI, Flu, etc.

It says "20 everyday concerns" so I assume that precludes anything complex or critical.

 

[disneysteve]

Telehealth is bad enough. This is all text-based. I wonder how they're getting paid for this as I believe audio and video are required for the visit to be billable under most insurances, but I could be wrong about that.


A number of companies have been moving more into the healthcare arena - Amazon, CVS, Walmart, etc. I don't necessarily have a problem with it as long as it's being done well. Patients certainly need better access to care in most places so this may fill a need that isn't currently being met.

 

[disneysteve]

No. Just no. Imagine taking a complex or critical issue to someone that you never met who will e-mail you a plan and a prescription, based on some questions.

They won't be dealing with complex and critical issues. It will be along the same lines as a CVS MinuteClinic.

 

[Car-Guy]

Checked it out, first thing I noticed was it was for ages 18 to 64. Isn't that age discrimination?

 

[disneysteve]

If I was travelling, or had some issue and couldn't see my doc, and knew what I needed - maybe?

Thinking.. Pinkeye, UTI, Flu, etc.

That's exactly what Urgent Care is great for. We see patients every day who couldn't get an appointment with their PCP. That's almost entirely why UC exists. We do provide some services that most PCPs don't like suturing and on-site x-rays and such but the vast majority of our visits are for routine stuff that their PCP could handle if they could just get an appointment.

 

[OldShooter]

Amazon and Google get criticized a lot by the ignorati because they shut down business ventures fairly frequently. This is because they do a phenomenal job of finding and testing new ideas, some of which succeed and some of which fail. It is this kind of risk-taking that has made them successful.

I think Amazon's pharmacy business turned out to be at least somewhat successful. DW uses it and is quite happy. It will be interesting to see how the clinic idea works out.

 

[MarieIG]

That's exactly what Urgent Care is great for. We see patients every day who couldn't get an appointment with their PCP. That's almost entirely why UC exists. We do provide some services that most PCPs don't like suturing and on-site x-rays and such but the vast majority of our visits are for routine stuff that their PCP could handle if they could just get an appointment.

I went to urgent care when I broke my arm. It was a much quicker visit than the ER, and they got me an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon immediately - which I could not have gotten myself.

 

[disneysteve]

I went to urgent care when I broke my arm. It was a much quicker visit than the ER, and they got me an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon immediately - which I could not have gotten myself.

Much cheaper than the ER, too. Walking into the ER for anything is going to run about $2,000 plus whatever gets added on while you're there. A visit to urgent care is one-tenth of that.

 

[audreyh1]

If I was travelling, or had some issue and couldn't see my doc, and knew what I needed - maybe?

Thinking.. Pinkeye, UTI, Flu, etc.

It says "20 everyday concerns" so I assume that precludes anything complex or critical.

Exactly! When traveling.

 

[bobandsherry]

No. Just no. Imagine taking a complex or critical issue to someone that you never met who will e-mail you a plan and a prescription, based on some questions.

It says 20 everyday health concerns, no mention of critical or complex issues.

 

[SnowballCamper]

I could see something like the amazon clinic as described above as very useful for those with a high deductible health plan with some common aliments like Aeridies mentioned.

On the other hand, for anything requiring a test (strep throat, etc.), it's redundant with urgent care facilities. But maybe the business model is to streamline the flow to urgent care... who knows. I'm glad I have the tricare/VA options.

 

[bobandsherry]

List of what conditions Amazon Clinic will handle.

https://clinic.amazon.com/?ref_=sf_hero_primary_cta#conditions

 

[ImaCheesehead]

We are full time RVers and never close to our Dr. to be able to see her for small things. We have been lucky so far (6 years on the road and haven’t had any urgent medical issues) but I could see a couple from the list that could come up.

DH is over 65 so can’t use the service. It would work for me tho. I can see getting a UTI handled promptly evenings or weekends if the Amazon Clinic is open then. I also think I saw no insurance is accepted - the patient has to pay.

So yes, I would give it a try

 

[audreyh1]

So it’s limited to under 65?

 

[harley]

Checked it out, first thing I noticed was it was for ages 18 to 64. Isn't that age discrimination?

I assume that means they aren't set up (yet) to work with Medicare. Just means I won't be dealing with it until hopefully the bugs are worked out.

 

[Dawg52]

I might if I have something like flu, sinus infection, etc. But over 65 so no use to me as is....

 

[athena53]

There are times when you know what the problem is and you know what you need but have to track down someone to prescribe it. In my case, I know raging poison ivy when it wakes me up at night and I now I need prednisone, either injected or pills. So yeah, I'd use it if I were pretty sure what I needed. Just saves me a visit to the Urgent Care- type places.

I'm 70 so right now it's not an option.

A bit OT but another giant getting into health care is Apple. Right now I'm in a Heartline study and got an Apple watch for a crazy discount (paid $80 for a $430 watch) . I granted access to my health records and they send me articles to read, the occasional survey, incentives to exercise a bit more, etc. My group will be compared with a group that already owned an Apple watch and a group that doesn't have one (those of us who didn't own one at the outset were randomly divided into people who were sold or loaned an Apple watch and those who were not). It's a 2-year study.

I'm sure Apple is having a fun time "monetizing" my data but I have t admit I LOVE the watch.

 

[Car-Guy]

^^^^^
I'm allergic to poison ivy too and found a combination of prednisone and Triamcinolone Cream works best... Usually if I apply Triamcinolone early I can avoid the need for the prednisone. I try to keep a tube of it around all the time since it's works for all sorts of skin inflammations and a little goes a long way. Of course, YMMV.

 

[sengsational]

Exactly! When traveling.

List of what conditions Amazon Clinic will handle.

https://clinic.amazon.com/?ref_=sf_hero_primary_cta#conditions

A good many of those (that aren't something you'd decide to initiate while traveling) are of the type where you just walk into the pharmacy in the country you're traveling in, and they give the medicine. The US is quite bonkers in some of the things they require prescriptions for, but entrenched interests prevail.

 

[athena53]

The US is quite bonkers in some of the things they require prescriptions for, but entrenched interests prevail.

Other countries can be, too. I had a female colleague years ago (I left the company in 1995) who was based in Toronto and would stock up on Monistat every time she came to the US office because it required a prescription in Canada.

 

[disneysteve]

A good many of those (that aren't something you'd decide to initiate while traveling) are of the type where you just walk into the pharmacy in the country you're traveling in, and they give the medicine. The US is quite bonkers in some of the things they require prescriptions for, but entrenched interests prevail.

And the same is true in other countries. There are many meds available over the counter that never should be. Antibiotics. Narcotics. Erectile dysfunction meds. Steroids. You shouldn’t just be able to walk in and buy a lot of that stuff without an appropriate evaluation.

 

[athena53]

And the same is true in other countries. There are many meds available over the counter that never should be. Antibiotics. Narcotics. Erectile dysfunction meds. Steroids. You shouldn’t just be able to walk in and buy a lot of that stuff without an appropriate evaluation.

And I used to stock up on Tylenol and codeine tablets and codeine-laced cough syrup when I visited the Canadian office.

 

[OldShooter]

And the same is true in other countries. There are many meds available over the counter that never should be. Antibiotics. Narcotics. Erectile dysfunction meds. Steroids. You shouldn’t just be able to walk in and buy a lot of that stuff without an appropriate evaluation.

Interesting point. But what is the dividing line? I'm sure many OTC medications in the US can harm people if misused or if certain conditions exist. In contrast, the prescription limitation is apparently there to protect people from themselves. But what is the criterion that puts some drugs inside the fence and leaves others outside? And does the experience in other less-fenced countries indicate that they are making a mistake?

This is just a curiosity question; I don't have a position. Never really thought much about it before.