Telehealth company Amwell announced it will move parts of its business from Amazon Web Services (AWS) to Google Cloud.
Amwell is selecting Google cloud as its preferred cloud partner and moving some video performance capabilities to that platform. AWS is the #1 cloud service provider in the world – ahead of Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.
“This is a critical partnership for the healthcare industry and has the potential to transform the telehealth space through the use of modern cloud technologies,” said Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud.
Aashima Gupta, global head – Healthcare Solutions, Google Cloud Platform at Google, said that the two companies plan to add more machine-learning capabilities to the service in the future. “Imagine you’re in a virtual waiting room, and instead of a clipboard there’s a conversational AI helping you,” she said.
Amwell, in its IPO filing, said its revenue had increased 77 percent in the first six months of 2020, compared with the same period a year ago, from $69 million to $122 million. Its net loss nearly tripled over the same period, growing from $41 million in the first six months of 2019 to $111 million in the first half of this year.
Amewll faces competition from Livongo and Teladoc, two companies that recently merged in an $18.5 billion deal. With Livongo on board, Teladoc is now selling an expanded set of services, including tools to monitor patients with chronic health conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.
Google Cloud’s largest customers in the medical sector include health systems such as Mayo Clinic and Ascension. Some of these customers also use Amwell for their telehealth services. Others rely on rivals such as Teladoc, MDLive and Doctor On Demand.
Amwell currently works with about 2,000 hospitals, 55 health plans and 36,000 employers.
Google’s cloud division is investing $100 million in telehealth company Amwell, CNBC reported.
Amwell on May 20 announced it closed its Series C financing round, adding $194 million in funding across two tranches.
Many early investors and strategic partners participated in this round, including Allianz X and Takeda. Amwell will use significant parts of the funds to expand its investment in technology and services.
