Google shifts on-site care to Premise, from Amazon's One Medical

Google is moving its on-site clinic relationship to Premise Health, from Amazon’s One Medical.

Google has sponsored One Medical memberships for Google employees as well as using One Medical to provide on-site primary care at some of its offices for many years.

Google changed providers because it wants on-site clinics in more areas and an expanded menu of services. The existing clinics are still open, and the company is preparing to add clinics in Austin Texas; Boulder, Colorado; and Chicago.

Google employees can still use One Medical doctors as in-network care providers.

Rebecca Pifer of Health Care Dive broke the news.

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Google declined to comment.

A One Medical representative said in an email that the company is proud about the care it has provided for Google employees.

“One Medical had operated a small number of onsite primary care clinics for Google, for many years,” the representative said. “Google has sponsored One Medical memberships, which offer 24/7 on-demand virtual care services, easy booking of same and next-day appointments, and more, as an employee benefit for their workforce. It’s important to note that Google employees and their dependents will continue to have One Medical memberships sponsored by their employer through the end of 2024.”

The History

Amazon closed on a $3.9 billion acquisition of One Medical in February 2023. The company recently combined One Health services with telehealth services to create a program that can provide telehealth services, help with prescription renewal and quick access to in-person care.

One Medical’s representative noted that the recent Amazon move has not changed its services.

“We have always provided a hybrid model of in-person and 24/7 on-demand virtual care,” the rep said. The cost of a membership is still $199 through One Medical’s website and $99 for Amazon Prime members.

Premise Health was created by a merger of Walgreens Take Care Employer Solutions business with CHS Health Services.

OMERS Private Equity, a Toronto-based private equity firm, acquired Premise Health in 2018.

Private equity firms are facing criticism of their role in health care delivery.

Related: New bill could curb private equity health care facility ownership

In this case, however, a major customer chose a private equity-owned provider over on-site care firms owned by physicians, public companies or nonprofit organizations.

What it means for the benefits community: On-site clinic offerings may be growing in importance as differentiators for the biggest employers, and virtual and in-person primary care services packages may get more attention from employers of all sizes.

The attention could end up expanding on-site clinic and primary care access package demand for One Medical and all other players in those markets, and it could also end up causing those options to take up more space in employers’ requests for bids.