One Medical Merges With Amazon to Make Access to Care Easier, Affordable

Amazon has officially acquired One Medical several months after the merger was first announced in July 2022.

One Medical, also known as 1Life Healthcare, Inc., is a human-centered and technology-powered primary care organization. Amazon has finally completed its acquisition just last Wednesday, the merging companies announced.

Together, Amazon and One Medical look to deliver exceptional healthcare to more people to achieve better health outcomes, better care experiences, and more value, within a better care team environment, according to an Amazon release.

“We’re on a mission to make it dramatically easier for people to find, choose, afford, and engage with the services, products, and professionals they need to get and stay healthy, and coming together with One Medical is a big step on that journey,” said Neil Lindsay, senior vice president of Amazon Health Services, in the release.

“One Medical has set the bar for what a quality, convenient, and affordable primary care experience should be like. We’re inspired by their human-centered, technology-forward approach and excited to help them continue to grow and serve more patients.”

One Medical has been serving its members with in-office and 24/7 virtual care services, on-site labs, and programs for preventive care, chronic care management, common illnesses, and mental health concerns for the past 15 years.

For a limited time, One Medical is offering annual memberships at the discounted price of $144 for the first year (regularly $199/year), the equivalent of $12 per month, to new customers. This deal remains the same for all new customers inlcuding Amazon Prime members.

Current One Medical members can continue to count on One Medical for the high-quality care and high-level of service they receive. The organization plans to continue to increase access to care and improve health outcomes with the support of Amazon, the release said.

Amir Dan Rubin, CEO of One Medical said her team now sets their sights on delivering even further positive impacts for consumers, employers, care teams, and health networks, as they join Amazon.

“If you fast forward 10 years from now, people are not going to believe how primary care was administered. For decades, you called your doctor, made an appointment three or four weeks out, drove 15-20 minutes to the doctor, parked your car, signed in and waited several minutes in reception, eventually were placed in an exam room, where you waited another 10-15 minutes before the doctor came in, saw you for five to ten minutes and prescribed medicine, and then you drove 20 minutes to the pharmacy to pick it up—and that’s if you didn’t have to then go see a specialist for additional evaluation, where the process repeated and could take even longer for an appointment,” said Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, in the release.

“Customers want and deserve better, and that’s what One Medical has been working and innovating on for more than a decade. Together, we believe we can make the health care experience easier, faster, more personal, and more convenient for everyone.”

Much, but not all of One Medical's abundace of human-centered primary care experiences that Amazon will be supporting include:

• Around-the-clock access through the One Medical app, giving people more control of how they seek care and the ability to do so from home or on-the-go.
• On-demand virtual care services, like 24/7 video chats and easy in-app messaging, which are included in membership at no extra cost; for other services, such as in-office appointments, One Medical accepts most major insurance health plans.
• Same and next-day in-office or remote visits, so people can quickly get the care they need.
• A healthcare home base with primary care providers that help manage a person’s full health picture; from preventive and acute care needs, to chronic disease and mental health concerns.
• Pediatricians and family care providers available in a growing number of locations, serving children and families.
• Highly engaged clinicians focused on meeting the whole needs of people, thinking about health care comprehensively, and taking time to treat people as people and not solely as diagnoses.
• More time in appointments to engage with providers for more personalized and comprehensive healthcare.
• A human-centered and technology-powered approach, offering an easy-to-use app and innovative clinician tools to simplify the experience for both the patient and the provider.