What Amazon’s Newest Job Itemizing Says About Its Well being Care Ambitions

Indicators emerged final yr that Amazon could also be making ready an entry into the prescribed drugs distribution enterprise, however it appears the web large’s plans might get extra private than that.

As first reported by CNBC, Amazon is trying to rent somebody to move up compliance with U.S. well being safety and privateness necessities.

Particularly, the agency needs somebody skilled in dealing with points of the Well being Insurance coverage Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA. This legislation covers private well being data, so it means that Amazon is wanting additional than the drug wholesaling enterprise.

The job advert mentions “HIPAA Enterprise Affiliate Settlement” necessities, which factors to partnerships with different gamers, similar to well being care and well being plan suppliers.

Based on the Division of Well being and Human Companies, a supplier lined by the HIPAA guidelines can solely switch protected well being data to a enterprise affiliate “to assist the [provider] perform its well being care functions–not for the enterprise affiliate’s impartial use or functions, besides as wanted for the correct administration and administration of the enterprise affiliate.”

In different phrases, if Amazon is the enterprise affiliate on this situation, it should face limitations on the way it can use the confidential well being data that it receives. It is going to even be obliged to maintain that information secure.

What’s Amazon really planning on doing? Based on CNBC, it would wish to deliver its Alexa private assistant technology–which just isn’t but HIPAA-compliant–into the well being care surroundings.

Fortune has requested Amazon what kind of initiative it’s planning, and can replace this text if and when a solution arrives.