Dr. Stephanie Long (right), MD, of One Medical Group, takes the blood pressure of Danielle Greene (left), 20 weeks pregnant, during a prenatal appointment on Thursday, February 4, 2016 in San Francisco, California.
Léa Suzuki | Chronicle of San Francisco | Getty Images
Amazon Wednesday deployed a artificial intelligence health care assistant for members of its One Medical primary care chain, joining notably OpenAI And Anthropicwhich recently launched similar features.
The tool, called Health AI, uses large language models from Amazon’s Bedrock service to answer questions and provide members with personalized advice based on their medical records, lab results and current medications.
It can also help manage medications and schedule appointments with a user’s One Medical provider.
The tool pulls answers from a variety of sources, including licensed and proprietary data, knowledge verified by medical experts, and, in some cases, publicly available data, Amazon said.
Health AI appears in the app of One Medical, the healthcare company acquired by Amazon. $3.9 billion in 2023. One Medical operates physical clinics and also offers telehealth services to members who pay between $99 and $199 per year for its services.
Amazon said Health AI is not intended to provide diagnosis or treatment, and should not replace a visit to the doctor. The tool is “programmed with clinical protocols” that identify when symptoms or conditions require escalation to a provider or an in-person visit, the company said.
Conversations with Health AI are also not added to a patient’s medical record, Amazon said.
The company started testing Health AI among a subset of One Medical members last spring before rolling out the tool more broadly.
Other AI vendors have also entered the lucrative healthcare market.
Earlier this month, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Healtha feature of its chatbot that allows users to upload medical records and receive personalized advice. Anthropic released its Claude for Health functionality shortly after.
Amazon said Health AI is easier for patients to use because it doesn’t require them to download documents or log into external apps, and it is “more actionable” compared to other offerings.
“In short: Other AI health chatbots provide general health information,” Neil Lindsay, senior vice president of Amazon Health Services, told CNBC. “One Medical’s Health AI Assistant knows your health story, can take action based on a patient’s request, and keeps your trusted providers top of mind. It’s the difference between getting answers and getting care.”
Amazon has pushed deeper in health care over the past decade. In addition to acquiring One Medical, Amazon also bought online pharmacy PillPack for around $750 million in 2018. Two years later, it launched its own offering called Amazon Pharmacy.
The company said Health AI can direct users to One Medical and Amazon Pharmacy services “where useful” but that protected health information is not used to market or advertise general products from its broader online store.
