Nov 11, 2020
AMAZON UNVEILS “CARE HUB”: A NEW ALEXA HEALTHCARE SERVICE
New technology to help senior populations, family members and caregivers in urban and rural healthcare markets
Amazon is launching a new Alexa-based healthcare service called “Care Hub”. It was created to help individuals care for aging family members that live apart from them. Care Hub’s features are designed so that caregivers can unobtrusively know their loved one is safely up and about.
Care Hub is an innovation with numerous uses for family households living apart from one another in metropolitan, suburban and rural locations.
Technology-driven peace of mind for users
Through an Alexa Care Hub account, seniors can designate a specific caregiver or family member to have access. The activity of the senior Alexa Care Hub subscriber is subtly monitored by Echo Dot, Echo Flex and Echo Show devices that are placed in their residence. Data generated by this is shared with whomever the senior subscriber has allowed Care Hub access to so they know they are up and about within their residence.
The activity monitored and reported may include physical movements in the home, lights, television or radio being turned on or off and other indicators depending on what is set up by the senior subscriber and the caregiver.
Care Hub’s marketing plan cultivates Amazon and Alexa customer growth
As part of a brilliant and generous strategy, Amazon does not charge for the use of Alexa Care Hub services. While the senior account holder and/or their designated caregiver with access to Alexa need to purchase the Alexa equipment mentioned above, the Care Hub program only requires registration and setup. This arrangement encourages even wider use of Amazon services by customers in older and younger demographic groups.
Care Hub is equipped with numerous mobile app features
Other Care Hub features enable the senior subscriber to notify their caregiver of an urgent request for help who can then assess the situation and determine the next steps. Through Care Hub’s mobile apps, the caregiver and the senior member can program alerts, reminders and communication shortcuts to further improve their connection.
The goal of Care Hub is for senior subscribers to be able to live independently at their residence and provide peace of mind to their caregivers/family members while providing the means for routine monitoring and if necessary emergency communications. For some individuals, this may enable them to stay at home and avoid living in an assisted living or long term care facility.
Amazon has big plans for Alexa’s healthcare potential
The combination of advanced technology, COVID-19 pandemic, rising medical and pharmacy costs plus a growing senior population are growth drivers for Care Hub. The challenging rural healthcare crisis and access to quality care present an ideal business case for Amazon to further build out Alexa’s healthcare capabilities but broadband service must be improved for farmers and rural communities so its attributes can flourish for these users.
This includes developing a managed care member benefits application with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield (NYSE: ANTM), partnering with Sharecare plus creating advanced voice recognition and telehealth capabilities by acquiring Health Navigator and launching Transcribe Medical. As new telehealth opportunities unfold nationwide in cities and rural communities, Care Hub will flourish as consumers embrace it and medical professionals endorse it.
As Amazon grows its overall healthcare enterprise, they are creating more opportunities to develop and market Alexa-based healthcare services. Their numerous options include alignment with their PillPack online pharmacy business unit, employee health program Amazon Care, COVID-19 Healthcare Coalition membership or their new Halo wearable fitness tracker.
Ultimately, these all drive greater connectivity and expansion in the core Amazon e-commerce business model for commercial and consumer customers.
Healthcare as part of the overarching Amazon business model
Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) generated over $280 billion in sales during 2019. It has entered numerous established market sectors and successfully disrupted them with new products, services, business strategies and technologies to provide better value for business and consumer customers.
As they continue to establish their presence in the healthcare industry, the Alexa Care Hub service is another example of Amazon precisely sizing up customers' needs to strategically focus resources and innovation to outpace competitors.
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