One Medical-Cleveland Clinic Partnership: 1 Year Later

Amazon’s One Medical primary care offering has had an interesting strategy as it selects new care locations and establishes partnerships with health systems in those areas.

The online giant’s partnership with the Cleveland Clinic is a case in point. The academic medical center and One Medical recently stated that they will open their first joint primary care location later this month in Avon, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb. The news comes one year after the two organizations announced their partnership to deliver seamless primary care in Northeast Ohio.

How the Collaboration Is Evolving

This will be one of about 20 health systems with which One Medical now collaborates around the country. One Medical will own and operate the offices and employ the staff at the Avon location but share revenue with Cleveland Clinic, which contributes startup costs to launching the practice and sits on a joint operating council with One Medical.

“Although Amazon One Medical has a long track record of collaborating with other health systems as they’ve entered various markets, they really take an individualized approach with each one,” James Gutierrez, M.D., chief of the Cleveland Clinic Primary Care Institute, recently told Becker’s Health IT. “So, they really worked with us to understand the nuances of the Cleveland market, the greater northeast Ohio market, . . . [and] what we focus on at Cleveland Clinic when we talk about delivering outstanding primary care.”

The cobranded clinics will feature a couple of physicians each and help meet increased demand for primary care, particularly when so many people have Amazon Prime memberships, Gutierrez said. Prime members can obtain discounted One Medical subscriptions ($99 a year or $9 monthly), while employers often offer One Medical as a benefit.

Pooled IT Resources a Bonus

The structure of the relationship and the pooled information technology resources between Cleveland Clinic and One Medical are noteworthy.

Each organization has a project manager. Physician credentialing and contracting at Cleveland Clinic have been involved, while the health system’s information technology team has connected its Epic electronic health record to One Medical’s proprietary health record system, with a focus on messaging between providers.

The emphasis will be that as a patient moves from a One Medical primary care physician to a specialist at Cleveland Clinic or any other health care location on Epic and back that there will be good communication and an understanding of what’s happening to the patient in both settings. This will promote safety and continuity of care, according to Gutierrez.

Cleveland Clinic also hopes to learn from Amazon One Medical’s approach to virtual care, particularly patient experience and digital-first care. The company offers 24/7 virtual care to members — via text or video — and online scheduling for same- and next-day in-person appointments.