(Bloomberg) -- Amazon.com Inc. hired a top executive from the Providence health system to deepen the company’s partnerships with medical providers, an Amazon spokesperson said Friday.

Aaron Martin, previously chief digital officer at Providence and head of the health system’s venture-capital arm, will join the tech giant later this month, according to Amazon.

Amazon has been growing its footprint in health care in recent years, launching Amazon Care, a telehealth service open to employees and those of other companies. Following the acquisition of drugs-by-mail startup PillPack, Amazon added pharmacy products to its retail website.

Martin worked at Amazon on the company’s Kindle e-reader about a decade ago, according to his LinkedIn page. He will start later this month as a vice president of health, reporting to Neil Lindsay, who oversees Amazon’s health initiatives, the spokesperson said.

The tech giant has long been seen as a potential threat to existing health-care businesses if it can enhance customers’ experience and lower costs for people seeking medical care. But its strategy has been slow to take shape.

A high-profile joint venture with Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co., called Haven, wound down last year after making little public progress toward its goal of reducing health care costs and improving services for employees.

Martin’s last day at Providence is March 25, Chief Executive Officer Rod Hochman said this week in a memo to employees reviewed by Bloomberg News.

(Updates with additional context)

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