Amazon unveiled software on Thursday that allows health care companies to build Alexa voice tools capable of securely transmitting private patient information, a move that opens the door to a broad array of uses in homes and hospitals.
The company sees its voice technology as one of the most promising lines of business, one that could be used to give patients and caregivers more timely information to help manage their conditions and access services. These are the Alexa tools unveiled Thursday:
- Cigna created a voice program to allow employees of its large national clients to manage their health improvement goals and earn wellness incentives.
- Express Scripts, the pharmacy benefit manager acquired by Cigna, built a tool to allow people to check the status of home delivery prescriptions.
- Boston Children’s Hospital built a program enabling parents and caregivers to provide clinicians with updates on their progress after surgery and get information on post-operative appointments.
- Providence St. Joseph Health, a network of 51 hospitals in seven states, created a tool enabling customers to search for a nearby urgent care center and schedule a same-day appointment. Atrium Health, which operates more than 40 hospitals and 900 clinics in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, built a similar tool.
- Livongo, a digital health company that helps users manage chronic conditions, launched a program that allows people to query their last blood sugar reading and blood sugar measurement trends, and receive personalized health advice.