For example, people often visit a string of doctors and specialists, and are frustrated when the physicians can't compare notes or coordinate care. That's because medical records, despite many electronic health record (EHR) technologies on the market, sometimes aren't shared and integrated between different health systems. Centralizing information about patients would be a big and important step forward in health care, and Amazon has the legacy technology infrastructure to create a more integrated and coordinated care model.

This partnership could also add to the pool of data that can be used by health care providers to make truly meaningful change in how they approach treatment. For instance, the venture could collect pieces of data from their employees with connected devices, tracking patients, treatments and outcomes through established workflows that can be helpful in improving operational execution for the complex services provided in many health care settings. And Amazon’s infrastructure is already compliant with health care privacy regulations.


Catalyst of change for all health care industry stakeholders
The Amazon, JPMorgan and Berkshire deal could be the impetus that scares current industry players enough to make meaningful change. For instance, insurers are part of the problem but they’re uniquely positioned to innovate and improve the current health care system if they perceive an imminent threat. Insurance companies have long said they want to provide transparency, yet consumers often don’t know the true cost of care. Prices are negotiated in secret between insurers, and providers and patients have no idea what will actually be charged.

The new venture also has the potential to take us one step closer to a health care system where we pay providers based on health outcomes versus volume of service – value-based health care. This would lead to a reduction in costly adverse clinical events because these providers and health care systems will be financially incentivized to improve the health of the populations they serve, thereby avoiding costly treatments and admissions. For consumers, in the near-term, it has the potential to deliver more health for the current spend. In the long term, it’s possible the partnership might leverage scale to negotiate lower prices with health care providers in certain regions. Or, even compete with providers by creating in-house clinics for employees in Amazon distribution centers or the lobbies of JPMorgan offices.

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