If you ever find yourself in an extended hospital stay, don’t be surprised if the speaker in the corner starts talking to you.
That’s because earlier this week, Amazon took its next foray into the U.S. healthcare marketplace with the release of two new solutions. Alexa Smart Properties, which come with Amazon’s voice-activated virtual assistant Alexa, have been designed specifically for healthcare facilities and hospitals.
The move comes after the mega-company trialed its Alexa-enabled devices in hospitals worldwide during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The trial, which began in May 2020, saw Amazon donating more than $5 million in devices globally to help frontline healthcare workers safely communicate with patients. While feedback from hospitals was mostly positive, an Amazon spokesperson recently told Quartz that some hospitals said the solution was not tailored to their needs.
Building off that information, Amazon designed industry-specific Alexa Smart Properties, including those for hospitals and senior living homes.
The hospital versions of Alexa allow nurses, doctors and others to quickly and easily communicate with patients without entering their rooms. For instance, the “Drop In” functionality allows healthcare professionals to remotely review patients.
Eliminating the need to enter a patient’s room at any given time increases productivity and conserves medical supplies and personal protective equipment—which was an immense problem at the beginning of the pandemic given PPE shortages. With an incredibly infectious disease like COVID-19, less visits into a patient’s room also reduces overall exposure.
Amazon confirmed that Boston Children’s Hospital, Cedars-Sinai, BayCare and Houston Methodist health systems are all adopting Alexa Smart Properties.
"Voice is intuitive for patients, regardless of age or tech savviness," said Peachy Hain, executive director of Medical and Surgical Services at Cedars-Sinai. "Since it's so easy to operate, patients can use Alexa to connect with their care team and stay entertained as soon as they settle in, while care providers can streamline tasks to make more time to care for those patients. It's a total gamechanger for enhancing our hospital experience."
One of the features Amazon integrated after the trial period includes “HIPAA-eligible skills,” like medication tracking. According to Amazon, “administrative, technical and physical safeguards” protect patients’ sensitive health data, as according to the law. The company also says no personal information is shared with Alexa to use the device, and voice recordings are not saved.
This is not Amazon’s first step into the healthcare industry. In November 2020, the company introduced Amazon Pharmacy, which allows customers to complete an entire pharmacy transaction online and/or through the Amazon App. This program also includes free two-day shipping of medication, and an up to 80% savings when paying without insurance.
This summer, Amazon began offering Amazon Care, an on-demand healthcare service, as a workplace benefit for employers of all sizes. The program provides workers with access to high-quality, on-demand medical care within 60 seconds, including options for care around the clock through messaging or video. Amazon Care also offers instant access to a range of urgent and primary care services, including COVID-19 and flu testing, vaccinations, preventive care, sexual health, prescription requests, refills, delivery and more.