Amazon establishes telemedicine pilot in Seattle area

Amazon Care, a pilot program for providing virtual medical services to employees, has expanded to office workers and their families who were not limited to the Seattle area, and are now available to people working in Amazon warehouses near the company's headquarters.

Amazon Care currently provides an application for contacting employees with medical professionals for video consultation. It also provides follow-up care for patients in need at home.

"We are pleased to extend this benefit to qualified fulfillment center employees and their families in the greater Seattle area. Amazon Care eliminates travel and waiting time and connects employees and their families with doctors, nurse practitioners, or registered nurses via live chat or video Connect and provide in-person follow-up services from registered nurses, from immunization to throat testing for instant streptococcal infection, "an Amazon spokesperson told CNBC.

Expansion is planned expansion, but at an important moment. Several workers in operations centers across the country died in Covid-19, and many employees urged the company to take more measures to protect them from viruses at work. Despite the increasing pressure to do so, the company has not yet provided a total number of workers who tested positive for the virus in its factories.

The company stated on its website that due to all health issues-not just those related to Covid-19, it will cancel the cost of its virtual medical services until May 31. Medical checkup fees are usually subsidized by Amazon, but signing up for the app to get general health advice is free.

According to the FAQs on the company's website, people who meet the conditions of virtual medical services must participate in the Amazon-sponsored health plan. The website wrote: "Amazon employees who have joined Kaiser Permanente are currently unable to participate."

The organization is just one of Amazon's various health plans. It has also been working with local officials and non-profit organizations to provide tests for people who suspect they have Covid-19 infection. Amazon Care provides free plans to help make delivery plans, so test suites can be delivered within a few hours

News Reference: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/18/amazon-care-telemedicine-extended-to-warehouse-employees-near-seattle.html