The Federal Trade Commission is scrutinizing Amazon's Prime business model and has also reviewed the tech giant's other potential deals, such as the acquisition of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and a new deal with autonomous vacuum maker iRobot, for antitrust violations. 

However, that doesn't necessarily mean Amazon's recent $3.9 billion purchase of San Francisco-based One Medical, which provides membership-based telehealth and in-person care, will be challenged (as was the case with its MGM deal earlier this year).

"On September 2, 2022, One Medical and Amazon each received a request for additional information and documentary materials (the "Second Request") from the FTC in connection with the FTC's review of the Merger," according to One Medical's parent company, 1Life Healthcare, in an SEC Form 8-K filing. "The Second Request is a next step in the regulatory review process."

Meanwhile, Amazon also announced in August that Amazon Care, its mostly app-based telehealth program, which had been in growth mode, will end in-person care on September 30 and cease all operations on December 3, as Healthcare IT News' sister publication MobiHealthNews reported.

Amazon Care, which lists more than 10,000 employees on LinkedIn, featured a patient-centric model with app-based tools available in all 50 states as well as in-person care at Care Medical offices in Seattle; Baltimore; Boston; Dallas; Austin, Texas; Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; and Arlington, Virginia. 

Care Medical had announced plans to open a number of practices in additional cities – Atlanta; Denver; Detroit; Houston; Indianapolis; Kansas City; Miami; Minneapolis; Nashville; New York; Phoenix; Pittsburgh; San Francisco; San Jose, California; and St. Louis – this year.

Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS publication.