Senior patient care lapses found at One Medical

An increasing number of instances of undertrained call center employees assisting elderly patients with serious health symptoms have come to light.

The Washington Post found that when older patients called primary-care service One Medical, their calls were directed to call centers that lacked the expertise to help the clients.

One call center, located in Tempe, Arizona, failed to escalate several critical health issues, such as blood clots and severe pain, for immediate medical attention.

Internal documents revealed that doctors and nurses at One Medical Seniors flagged dozens of such incidents.

These lapses have risen ever since Amazon acquired One Medical in 2023, claims the report. The acquisition led to cost-cutting measures like staff layoffs, eliminating free rides and shortening appointments.

While Amazon maintains that no patients were harmed due to call center errors, critics argue that training and staffing practices at these centers are insufficient, causing dangerous delays in patient care.

Amazon’s efforts to streamline healthcare and reduce costs have been met with skepticism, as the company’s approach has sometimes compromised patient safety and care quality.