By Noah Rothstein
Amazon Web Services (AWS), a key arm of Amazon and one of the dominant leaders in cloud computing services, is taking a bold step into healthcare with the development of an accelerator for healthcare startups.
In a blog post, Sandy Carter, Vice President at AWS, announced the launch of the “Amazon Web Services (AWS) Healthcare Accelerator program.” The program is “a four-week technical, business, and mentorship accelerator opportunity open to U.S.-based healthcare startups or international healthcare startups that have existing U.S. operations.”
The goal of the AWS Healthcare Accelerator is to cultivate and promote innovative startup solutions that achieve the “Quadruple Aim” of improved patient and clinician experiences, better health outcomes, and lower cost of care. In seeking compliant data-driven healthcare solutions, AWS will support public sector healthcare enterprises to accelerate their digital transformation, according to Ms. Carter.
The accelerator program is a collaboration with KidsX, an established digital health accelerator that focuses on pediatrics. The program will initially accept 10 healthcare startup companies and provide them with training, mentoring from subject matter experts, and guidance on business and product development.
Digital health is becoming one of the most prominent startup areas, both in terms of interest and investment. The product pipeline is expansive, ranging from services, patient-care solutions, and hardware such as health devices and new imaging tools to new ways of accessing and delivering real-time patient care.
Amazon has made several moves into the healthcare space. One significant example is Amazon Care, a relatively new virtual care platform aiming to provide patients with comprehensive care. The platform enables real-time access to clinicians where “nurses will come directly to you for testing, immunizations, blood draws, and more,” delivering “Amazon Care prescribed medications right to your door.”
