Innovation
5 Non-Health Companies Investing In Healthcare Walmart
BY JAMILA GANDHI ; VALERIYA ZANKOVYCH/ SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Amazon Amazon announced in February 2022 that it will be expanding its Amazon Care service, having first launched it in September 2019 to offer virtual and in-person health services for its customers. In 2021, Amazon Web Services (AWS) launched a healthcare accelerator to promote startups at an early stage, which fuels some of the largest healthcare organizations globally, including Moderna, Philips, and the U.K.’s National Health Service. On the hardware front, Amazon has invested in Halo Band, an intuitive wearable that tracks health metrics, marking its entry into the personal health and fitness space. F O R B E S M I D D L E E A S T.C O M
Google AI research firm DeepMind Health and fitness tracker Fitbit have been among the most notable additions to Google Health’s portfolio in recent years. In 2020, Google’s cloud division announced a Healthcare Interoperability Readiness Program in collaboration with partners such as Bain & Company, Deloitte, and Boston Consulting Group to help healthcare organizations understand their data and meet regulatory requirements. And in 2021, the tech giant developed its Cloud Healthcare Data Engine initiative to help healthcare and life sciences leaders to make decisions from disjointed healthcare data.
Microsoft In 2021, Microsoft acquired Nuance Communications for $19.7 billion and announced a partnership with pharmaceutical company CVS Health. Its expansion into healthcare has also seen the conglomerate develop the Hololens, a hands-free mixed reality device, and introduce Microsoft Dynamics 365 patient access features to enable efficient virtual and in-person appointments for patients. In 2020, Microsoft launched a timely AI for Health philanthropic initiative—a $40 million, five-year program to empower researchers and organizations with AI to improve global health crises.
Walmart’s Care Clinic concept in the U.S. offers primary care, dental, counseling, labs, x-rays, fitness, and nutrition, among other services. It established its first health center in 2019 in Georgia, promising to offer affordable and transparent pricing for key health services, regardless of insurance status. In 2021, Walmart Health announced a partnership with electronic medical records company Epic, acquired telehealth provider MeMD, and launched a private brand analog insulin.
Uber
In January 2022, Uber reportedly partnered with medical services company Ecco-Salva Medical Services to pilot a new “Doctor at Home” program in Portugal through Uber Eats, enabling customers to request medical assistance through the app. Uber previously ventured into auxiliary healthcare services via a partnership with ScriptDrop in 2021 to give U.S. customers access to prescription medications. In 2020, Uber partnered with the White House to promote vaccination against Covid-19. APRIL 2022
11 LEADERBOARD
These five global titans in tech and retail are leveraging their knowledge, experience, and resources to push forward innovation in the multi-trillion-dollar healthcare industry.
