Amazon expands Health AI beyond the One Medical platform

Health AI is designed to help users answer health-related questions, interpret medical records, manage prescription renewals, and schedule medical appointments.

Amazon has launched broader access to its healthcare-focused AI assistant, Health AI, making it available directly on the company’s website and mobile application. The tool was previously limited to the app of One Medical, the primary care provider Amazon acquired for $3.9 billion in 2023.

Health AI is designed to help users answer health-related questions, interpret medical records, manage prescription renewals, and schedule medical appointments. According to Amazon, individuals do not need to be Prime subscribers or One Medical members to use the assistant.

The company said the tool can respond to general health questions even without access to personal medical information. However, it is intended to function as a personalized health assistant when users choose to connect their health data, enabling more tailored responses and actions, such as connecting patients with healthcare professionals and treatment options.

Amazon said interactions with Health AI occur within a HIPAA-compliant environment and are protected through encryption and access controls. The company noted that only authorized personnel performing HIPAA-permitted functions, such as service maintenance, clinical quality assurance, or technical troubleshooting, can access conversation data when necessary.

The company also stated that the underlying AI models are trained using abstracted patterns rather than identifiable user data. For example, if multiple users ask about potential medication interactions, aggregated patterns may be used to improve responses without including personal identifiers.

With user consent, Health AI can access patient data through the nationwide Health Information Exchange system. This allows the assistant to interpret lab results, diagnoses, and medical records to provide more personalized responses to questions about symptoms or medications.

If users require clinical care, Health AI can connect them with providers from One Medical. Prime members in the United States using the tool are eligible for up to five free direct-message consultations with a One Medical provider for more than 30 common conditions, including cold and flu, allergies, acid reflux, and urinary tract infections. Non-Prime users can access One Medical providers through Amazon’s pay-per-visit option.

Users can sign up for the assistant through the Amazon Health page and will receive email notifications as access becomes available. After creating or signing into an Amazon Health profile, users can start conversations with Health AI through Amazon’s website or app.

The expansion comes amid increasing activity in healthcare-focused AI tools. In January, OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Health, a healthcare-focused version of its chatbot, followed by a healthcare AI product from Anthropic.

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