Introduction
The landscape of healthcare work in the U.S. is undergoing a quiet revolution. For decades, nursing and allied-health professionals were defined by hospital floors, shift work, and face-to-face patient interaction. But now: remote care is no longer niche. Big-name employers like HCA Healthcare, Kaiser Permanente, and Amazon (through its health initiatives) are actively recruiting nurses, allied health professionals, and telehealth staff and doing so in a way that emphasizes both security and flexibility.
For clinicians looking to balance meaningful work with remote or hybrid flexibility, these openings can feel like a new frontier. In this post, I’ll walk you through how these major healthcare employers are structuring remote hiring, what roles are most in demand, and the trade-offs to consider so you can decide whether “secure & remote” might be your next career move.
Why Big Healthcare Is Betting on Remote Staff
Several converging trends explain why major healthcare employers are leaning into remote roles:
- Telehealth Growth: Telemedicine adoption exploded during COVID, and many of those gains are sticking. Remote triage, video consults, and chronic care check-ins are now routine.
- Labor Pressures: There’s a nationwide shortage of nurses and allied health staff. Remote work allows employers to tap into a broader talent base, reduce burnout, and retain more people. (American Hospital Association)
- Technological Maturity: With secure video platforms, remote monitoring tools, and integrated health IT, hospitals and health systems can safely decentralize certain services.
- Cost Efficiency & Flexibility: Remote roles can reduce costs (less physical infrastructure), while offering staff flexible hours or part-time options.
With that context, let’s look more closely at what HCA, Kaiser, and Amazon Health are doing — and how they compare.
How HCA, Kaiser, and Amazon Are Recruiting Remote & Telehealth Staff
Below is an overview of how these three big players are structuring remote hiring for nurses, allied health, and telehealth.
| Employer | Remote / Telehealth Strategy | Key Roles They’re Hiring | Notable Features / Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|
| HCA Healthcare | Integrating virtual nursing into its operations; “virtual nurse” roles | Telehealth nurse, remote care education, case management | Offers a “Virtual New Grad” support program; uses video rounding and tele-assessment. (HCA Healthcare Magazine) |
| Kaiser Permanente | Long-standing remote and hybrid roles, plus advanced “Care at Home” program | Telehealth RN, remote health educator, utilization management, clinical informatics, allied health roles | Their Care at Home model enables acute care to be delivered in patients’ homes via virtual monitoring. (Permanente Medicine) Also, remote roles in health coaching, informatics, and more. (KP Highlights) |
| Amazon / Amazon Health | Historic effort through Amazon Care (now scaled back) plus Amazon’s tech infrastructure in health | Telehealth RNs (advice line), care coordination, care navigators | Amazon Care used contractors and traveling nurses; reliance on third parties was a challenge. (The Washington Post) Also, Amazon’s AWS supports telehealth technology, which shows their long-term interest. (Amazon Web Services, Inc.) |
Deep Dive: HCA Healthcare
Remote Telehealth Nursing at HCA
- HCA offers part-time remote telehealth nurse roles. For example, there’s a listing for a telehealth nurse at $35–$38/hour. (Remote)
- These roles often involve triage, patient education, and follow-up care — not just emergency or acute care.
Career Pathways & Training
- HCA has a pathway program for internal colleagues who want to transition into nursing or other clinical roles. (HCA Healthcare Magazine)
- Their “Virtual New Grad Support” model helps new nurses by pairing them with experienced nurses via video, text, or voice, providing rapid real-time support. (HCA Healthcare Magazine)
- This suggests HCA is serious about building its remote workforce for sustainability, not just patching gaps.
Pros & Trade-offs
- Pros: Flexible hours; remote work; structured support; entry points for new graduates.
- Trade-offs: Because roles are part-time and niche (telehealth), you may have less volume, or “just enough” to make it worth it, depending on locale and scheduling.
Deep Dive: Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser is a pioneer in remote care — both for patients and clinicians.
Remote Nursing & Allied Health Roles
- Kaiser advertises Remote Registered Nurse positions, including telehealth and case management. (Kaiser Permanente Highlights)
- They also actively recruit Health Educators to work remotely, teaching and coaching patients via digital platforms. (Remote)
- Other remote roles include utilization management specialists and informatics staff. (KP Highlights)
Care at Home Program
- Kaiser’s Care at Home initiative is especially notable: patients who would normally be hospitalized (in some cases) can receive acute-level care at home through remote monitoring, home visits, and virtual visits. (Permanente Medicine)
- This model requires not just nurses, but allied health professionals (e.g., therapists, care coordinators) who are comfortable working in hybrid settings.
How Telehealth Works in Kaiser
- Their telehealth guide outlines how they authorize remote visits, clarify which provider types can see patients virtually, and how to maintain quality.
- Because of their integrated health-system model, remote staff may have more stability and consistent workflows compared to pure telehealth startups.
Hiring Volume
- In a press release, Kaiser said they’re hiring for a wide suite of roles: medical assistants, CNAs, radiologic technologists, allied health, etc.
- This suggests that remote hiring is not limited to niche telehealth — it’s part of a broader workforce growth strategy.
Pros & Trade-offs
- Pros: Very established system; stable employment; potential for career progression; remote roles are likely to persist long-term.
- Trade-offs: Some remote roles may require living in a Kaiser-authorized state or region. As one Redditor noted, even “remote” roles may carry regional restrictions. > “I am 100% remote and must reside in my region … remote with the occasional exception …” (Reddit)
- Licensing/licensure: Working across states can be challenging in telehealth because of varying license rules.
Deep Dive: Amazon Health / Amazon Care
Amazon’s health ambitions have gone through several iterations, and its remote hiring reflects both potential and pain points.
Amazon Care History
- Amazon Care began as a virtual health service for Amazon employees, combining telehealth visits with in-home care (nurse visits, lab draws, etc.). (health.amazon.com)
- However, Amazon Care has recently scaled back. According to its own site, Amazon Care is no longer providing services in many areas. (health.amazon.com)
- This means that while Amazon made a big bet on remote healthcare delivery, its model hasn’t fully persisted in all markets.
Telehealth RN Roles
- There are remote nurse advice line roles tied to Amazon / Amazon-affiliated contracts. For example, a telehealth RN job provides advice by phone, chat, and video, assessing patient concerns, triaging, and coaching. (remotejboard.it.com)
- Such roles often require stable, secure internet, strict licensing, and compact-nurse-license compliance because they serve patients in multiple states.
Amazon’s Tech Backbone
- While Amazon Care’s patient-facing service may be shrinking, Amazon’s technology arm (AWS) continues to invest heavily in telehealth infrastructure. Their Telehealth on AWS solutions support video consults, remote monitoring, and scalable virtual care. (Amazon Web Services, Inc.)
- This means Amazon may still be a long-term player in digital health — perhaps more on the platform side than the direct-care side.
Challenges & Risks
- According to a Washington Post piece, some former Amazon Care telehealth nurses expressed concerns about contractor status, short-term contracts, and unclear state regulatory issues. (The Washington Post)
- As with many gig-like models, there may be trade-offs in consistency, pay, and job security compared to more traditional healthcare employers.
Key Insights & Themes
From the above, some clear insights emerge:
- Remote Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All
- In HCA and Kaiser, remote work is often integrated into broader care models (triage, follow-up).
- Amazon’s remote roles have leaned more toward advice-line style work, which may feel more like tele-call center than clinical nursing.
- Stability vs Flexibility
- Kaiser and HCA offer more stable, career-oriented roles (with room for growth).
- Amazon (in its Care model) offered flexibility, but perhaps at the expense of long-term job certainty — especially for contractors.
- Licensing & Regulation Matter
- Telehealth roles often require licensure in the states where patients live. Employers may limit hiring to “authorized” regions.
- For nurses, being in a Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) state can make telehealth opportunities much more accessible.
- Career Pathways Are Growing
- For newer nurses, HCA’s virtual nurse/new grad pathway is a promising model.
- For allied health professionals, Kaiser’s Care-at-Home model is creating more remote/hybrid job opportunities in non-traditional settings.
- Tech Backbone Enables Scale
- Amazon’s strength may lie not just in providing care, but in powering other healthcare organizations via AWS.
- Health systems that combine clinical operations with strong digital infrastructure are better positioned to sustain remote care.
Considerations for Clinicians Thinking About Remote Roles
If you’re a nurse or allied health professional exploring remote roles with big healthcare employers, consider these:
- Assess Your Goals: Are you looking for long-term career growth, or flexibility & side income? Different remote roles serve different needs.
- Licensure: Check which states you can practice in and whether the employer requires you to live in certain areas.
- Skillset: Remote nursing often involves patient education, case management, or virtual triage — not just bedside care. Highlight communication, digital literacy, and telehealth experience.
- Work Environment: Make sure you have a dedicated, secure, and quiet workspace, with strong internet connectivity.
- Job Security: Compare benefits, pay stability, and contract terms (full-time employee vs contractor).
- Professional Development: Does the employer support your growth via training, mentoring, or pathways like HCA’s “Virtual New Grad”?
Conclusion
The future of healthcare work is increasingly secure & remote. Employers like HCA Healthcare, Kaiser Permanente, and Amazon have recognized this and are building roles that reflect both clinical need and digital opportunity. For nurses and allied health professionals, these roles offer a way to blend meaningful care with flexibility and modern working structures.
That said, remote healthcare isn’t a silver bullet. Licensing, job structure, and contract terms matter a lot. But for professionals who navigate this space well, the potential is huge: you can deliver high-value care, stay connected to patients, and build a sustainable, flexible career all from your own home.
If you’re exploring this path, keep an eye on major health system job boards, set alerts for remote roles, and craft your resume to highlight telehealth-ready skills. The “remote care revolution” isn’t coming, it’s already here.