Former Amazon One Medical doctor alleges she was fired for reporting patient safety issues
A doctor at Amazon-owned One Medical says she was fired by the company in retaliation for sounding the alarm about patient safety issues. A month after filing a formal complaint to her supervisors, she was allegedly let go from a California clinic where she saw patients for more than a decade.
In a wrongful termination suit, Sue Kim, MD, a primary care physician, claims she reported “harassment, discrimination, and patient safety concerns,” and that doing so ultimately led to One Medical retaliating by launching a “selectively structured investigation designed to discredit her rather than address the reported misconduct.”
Kim also formally accuses the company of discrimination and harassment, allegations she says were targeted that led to her termination.
Speaking to the San Francisco Standard, a spokesperson for Amazon One Medical said the company disputes the “allegations in this complaint, and this employee was not terminated in response to raising safety concerns,” adding that they cannot comment further on the specifics of why Kim was let go.
The spokesperson flatly denied that filing an incident report with a supervisor would be grounds for firing, saying that the company would “take appropriate action” to address any safety concerns and never “retaliate against employees who raise them.”
As for what Kim was complaining about, it ranged from allegations of inadequate training for staff to “insufficient support for clinicians navigating complex care issues.” Many of the details she outlined in the lawsuit have been brought up by previous whistleblowers, who aired their grievances to the Washington Post back in 2024.
That was roughly a year after Amazon, the online retail and cloud technology giant, took over One Medical—a chain of primary care clinics in California that offer in-person and telehealth services to patients.
Amazon completed the purchase for $3.9 billion, expanding its virtual capabilities to offer on-demand care at rates that appeal to people without insurance. Through telemedicine, One Medical sees patients from all over the country.
According to the San Francisco Standard report, Kim worked for a One Medical clinic located on Google’s campus until it closed in 2024. At that time, the company transferred her to a location in Palo Alto.
It’s then that she began to witness the alleged patient safety issues.
Kim was fired in August 2025. A hearing for her wrongful termination lawsuit is scheduled for Aug. 27.
Family of patient sues for wrongful death
A medical malpractice and negligence lawsuit against Amazon One Medical is still pending resolution; the case involves Philip Tong, 45, a man who was allegedly prescribed an inhaler by a provider during a medical emergency that later killed him.
Tong’s family alleges that his death was preventable, and that the clinician—who was examining the man virtually—should have known that his symptoms of shortness of breath and lack of mobility were to be taken seriously.
It’s alleged that telehealth providers at One Medical are overworked and understaffed, which may have contributed to Tong’s death.
He passed away after collapsing in an emergency room, hours after his televisit.
The facts in the case have yet to be determined. Amazon One Medical has not responded to the allegations and the lawsuit has not gone to trial.
Tong’s family filed their lawsuit in late 2024.
Chad is an award-winning writer and editor with over 15 years of experience working in media. He has a decade-long professional background in healthcare, working as a writer and in public relations.