– Amazon acquires Chicago-based Health Navigator platform, a comprehensive clinical vocabulary, and decision-support system.
– The announcement marks Amazon’s second acquisition in the healthcare space after acquiring online pharmacy market PillPack for $750M last year.
– CNBC confirms Health Navigator will not renew existing contracts with their customers moving forward and will become part of Amazon Care, it’s pilot healthcare service program for employees.
Amazon has acquired Health Navigator, a Chicago-based digital health startup that provides a comprehensive clinical vocabulary and decision-support system for eHealth and telemedicine encounters, CNBC first reports. The transaction marks the second healthcare-related acquisition for Amazon after purchasing online market pharmacy PillPack last year for $750M.
Health Navigator Platform Overview
Founded in 2014 by David Thompson, MD, FACEP, Health Navigator platform is a comprehensive clinical vocabulary and decision-support system designed to support eHealth and telemedicine encounters – from the presenting chief complaint to the final diagnosis. The platform includes a broad range of tools for capturing the chief complaint through natural language processing, presenting a documentation checklist to consumers and healthcare providers, generating a list of possible causes and making recommendations for seeking care.
These decision-support tools can be used to develop symptom checker, health bot, consumer engagement, and telehealth applications. All content is delivered via a well-documented application programming interface (API; RESTful web service). Health Navigator can provide solutions for eHealth, telemedicine, insurers, medical call centers, electronic health record companies, answering services, and healthcare systems.
Health Navigator Integration with Amazon Care
As part of the acquisition, Health Navigator will become part of Amazon Care, its pilot virtual primary care clinic and in-person healthcare services for employees and their families in Seattle. Amazon Care provides a mobile app that allows you to access virtual and in-person healthcare services from Oasis Medical. Oasis Medical provides the following services:
Video Care: Have an in-app video visit with a doctor, nurse practitioner, or registered nurse (“clinicians”) for advice, answers, diagnoses, treatment, or referrals
Care Chat: In-app text chat connects you to a clinician in moments for health advice and answers
Mobile Care: Your Video Care provider may recommend an in-person assessment or treatment by a registered nurse (a “Mobile Care nurse”). With your approval, the provider will send a Mobile Care nurse to your home, a designated room on the Amazon campus, or any other location in our service area that you request. The Mobile Care nurse may collect lab samples, perform some onsite testing (such as strep tests), administer common vaccines, or perform physical examinations.
Care Courier: During a Video Care visit, you may be prescribed medications consistent with our current scope of services. Many prescriptions can be delivered to you within two hours. Others can be sent to your preferred pharmacy for pick up.
CNBC confirmed that Health Navigator will not renew existing contracts with their customers moving forward. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.
