Amazon Data Privacy Concerns Refuted By One Medical CEO

Amir Dan Rubin, CEO of One Medical, stated on a recent panel that the recently concluded Amazon-One Medical transaction has nothing to with patient data and is instead focused on a "longitudinal relationship" with specific users.

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According to Trade Algo, Rubin stated that given the deal's structure, there shouldn't be any data privacy concerns. "One Medical is one of many healthcare organizations which have been housed on Amazon Web Services for almost 15 years. I believe the information is far more secure and confidential here than it is in the cloud, which is decentralized, " he remarked.

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OLast February 22, Amazon completed the $3.9 billion purchase of One Medical, a primary care practice that operates online and is based on membership. The first year of a new subscriber's membership to One Medical is currently discounted at $144 from the regular $199. Trade Algo said that Rubin expressed his expectation that the company's healthcare subscription service will increase access to primary care.

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Rubin claimed the subscriptions of One Medical and Amazon will fit well and in conjunction could give a "excellent user experience". "The basic approach is how do we make insurance extremely easy and accessible for individuals," he said when describing One Medical's major objective. Reduce the cost and the access barriers.

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According to the CEO, One Medical presently has 220 locations in 28 US markets and plans to expand through a partnership with Amazon. The company only accepts online drug prescription requests through a smartphone app, and doctors electronically deliver prescriptions to pharmacies. Also, any changes or follow-up prescription information are sent online. People can also book appoints for vaccines and other preventative medications online in this way.

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According to Securities and Exchange Commission filings, the FTC started looking into potential dangers to customers as soon as the acquisition was originally announced. The Commission has stated that it won't file a lawsuit to stop the transaction, but it will keep looking into potential customer harms brought on by Amazon's ownership of One Medical with access to private consumer health data.

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The current trend of large organizations incorporating medical services into their business strategies is continued by the Amazon-One Medical partnership. According to Rubin, "I think there is an understanding from businesses [about] the work of firms like ours along with other upstarts that are out, and there are ways that you can connect and establish connections and enhance customer service and give more value-based care.