Walgreens, Amazon Offer Telehealth as an Alternative to the Doctor's Office

With the coronavirus pandemic continuing to push healthcare away from in-person treatment and onto virtual platforms, Amazon and Walgreens have both expanded their telehealth offerings to offer an alternative to the hospital or doctor’s office.

Earlier this month Walgreens announced 11 new and four expanded connected health partnerships with care providers on its Walgreens Find Care platform, giving the pharmacy chain’s customers online access to more than 45 services.

“Walgreens Find Care addresses even more needs during the pandemic by connecting patients to care and helping customers think differently about how their pharmacy can become a resource for more of their healthcare needs,” Giovanni Monti, senior vice president of healthcare services for the Walgreens Boots Alliance, said in a press release.

Also this month, Amazon quietly expanded its year-old Amazon Care platform beyond the company’s Seattle headquarters to 21 more states, according to Stat. The company has also been hiring healthcare providers and pitching its mHealth app to other companies.

Amazon is also joining the effort to expand telehealth coverage for home-based healthcare. The company is a member of Moving Health Home, a recently formed coalition that aims to “change the way policymakers think about the home as a site of clinical service.”

The announcements point to a continued connected health expansion in the retail space, as companies look to give employees and patrons a direct-to-consumer telehealth link to both primary and specialty care services.

They’re also playing off public fears that hospitals, doctors’ offices and health clinics aren’t necessarily safe because of the COVID-19 emergency.

“Expansion of these services is important as the pandemic continues and both patients and practitioners seek to reduce exposure to COVID-19,” Walgreens said in its press release. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has provided continued guidance to healthcare facilities and providers to offer clinical services through telehealth to help address medical needs while supporting social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the CDC, remote access to healthcare services may also better serve those who are medically or socially vulnerable or who do not have ready access to providers.”