Amazon's Clinics Join U.S. Employer Push Into Worksite Healthcare

Amazon's plans to build clinics for employees would make it one of a roster of organizations setting up health centers at the worksite, according to Forbes . CNBC reports the first Amazon clinic would be at its Seattle headquarters, and the company "is starting small with a pilot, but is looking to expand the effort early next year." Meanwhile, Mercer's 2017 National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Plans says at least 33 percent of employers with a minimum of 5,000 employees are offering them "a general medical clinic," up from 24 percent of large employers five years ago. Furthermore, Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan Chase announced in January that they intend to establish an "independent company" to improve healthcare and reduce costs for their more than 1 million employees. Amazon and its partners also hired Dr. Atul Gawande, who is known for promoting value-based medical care and population health, to lead this company. Worksite clinics would be in keeping with the mission of Gawande's Ariadne Labs "to create scalable healthcare solutions that deliver better care at the most critical moments of people's lives, everywhere." Worksite clinics typically involve a local healthcare provider managing or staffing them, and more and more are delivering a wider array of healthcare services beyond occupational care, such as chronic condition management, physical therapy, chiropractic care, mental health, and pharmacy.