The Covid pandemic has changed our society forever, both on the negative side and on the positive side. And, one of the things that has changed the most in the last two years is access to healthcare . In our country, until not long ago, it seemed normal to have to waste a morning or afternoon going to the family doctor to renew prescriptions for long-term treatment, for example. All of this is now done by phone – or by video call in some private clinics. And, although this route is not the one that we patients like the most to communicate with our doctors when we suffer from some type of illness, everything indicates that things will continue like this for the next few months. Across the pond, Amazon seems to have an interest in this healthcare model , and they have given Alexa the ability to diagnose and prescribe medications for minor illnesses.
Alexa, I’m not feeling well
Reality is already beyond science fiction. The latest addition to Alexa in the United States is a health service in which the patient customer can get help only using their Amazon device. Jeff Bezos’ company has struck a deal with telemedicine provider Teladoc Health . Thanks to this association, anyone who has a device from the brand and who has a medical problem that is not an emergency, will be able to consult with their voice assistant . If the person wishes, they can tell Alexa that they want to talk to a real doctor . This will cause the system to make a call to the 24-hour service of Teladoc, where the client will be attended by a real collegiate who can prescribe medication if necessary. Of course, for customers who do not have health insurance, the call will cost $75 and will be billed through Amazon. Typical of the United States, wow.
In addition, the medicines can also be obtained through Amazon. Although this function is not available in most countries, in the United States, customers can obtain medications through the Amazon Care service, where the prescription of the medication will have to be provided if required.
As an added measure, Teladoc spokesman Chris Savarese indicated that Amazon will not have access to the consultations that we make to their doctors , nor will they be able to record, store or access any subsequent calls that their doctors make to our Alexa device.
Is this the future of medicine?
There are not a few large North American companies that are arming themselves in the telemedicine sector . In a country where healthcare is seen as just another business, it is not surprising that companies like Walmart or Amazon are betting heavily on this type of service.
According to some experts, these services, which have become so popular in recent years, do not replace face-to-face medicine , but they can be of great help for mild cases, post-operative follow-up and people who have difficulty approaching a health center.
