One Medical is under fire for failing to prioritize some patients who had symptoms that should have received immediate attention. The crux of the problem is that the virtual and in-person primary care provider—now owned by Amazon as a result of a $3.9 billion deal from February 2023—routes patients to a call center that is staffed in part by contractors with limited training, according to the Washington Post. The news outlet cites leaked documents that captured, for example, a case of a blood clot, in which the patient was scheduled for an appointment instead of escalating the case for rapid evaluation. Clinical staff also flagged a number of call-center missteps for elderly patients that may have put their health at risk. Also this week, Amazon Clinic announced it will be rebranded to Amazon One Medical. The pay-per-visit primary care clinical services include messaging options at $29 and video visits at $49. Annual membership ranges from $99 to $199 per year.
The model still needs work: Alan Ayers, MBA, MAcc, president of Experity Consulting and Senior Editor of JUCM, notes that while Amazon marketing may boost volume for One Medical providers, the providers likely have excess capacity, which eats away at margins.