Report: Amazon gearing up for entry into medical supplies biz

Amazon (NSDQ:AMZN) is looking to up the ante in its medical supplies business and turn the unit into a major supplier to US hospitals and clinics, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The online mega retailer has initiated a trial of a new system testing to see if it can use its Amazon Business site to supply healthcare products to a large midwestern hospital and its approximately 150 outpatient facilities, according to the report. The system is customized to the hospital’s catalog of supplies and allows employees to compare prices on the Amazon Business marketplace to those it negotiates with through distributors, according to the Wall Street Journal. When questioned about the test, Amazon said it is looking to offer a “marketplace concept” to hospitals that would not include contracts between hospitals and healthcare facilities and distributors and manufacturers, according to the report. “Our goal is to be something new. We’ve been actively building out new capabilities and features,” Amazon Business global healthcare lead Chris Holt said, according to the WSJ. “We’re thinking about not how we can go mimic what’s already out there, but rather how we can rethink safety and security of anything clinical.” Holt went on to say that the company was not looking to imitate current models, and that existing supply-chain options are dated and “not nearly as safe and secure” as needed, according to the report. The online ...
Source: Mass Device - Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tags: Business/Financial News Distribution Hospital Care Amazon Source Type: news