Amazon.com Inc. has an ambitious new plan to bring the convenience of e-commerce to organizations in the healthcare sector, the Wall Street Journal reported this morning.

The publication cited hospital executives as saying that the retail giant had invited them to multiple meetings in recent quarters to discuss the idea of an online medical supplies marketplace.

According to the Journal, the plan centers on Amazon Business, an enterprise version of the company’s e-commerce platform that offers perks such as bulk discounts and expedited shipping. The portal passed the $1 billion revenue mark within a year of its 2015 launch.

Amazon Business already carries certain basic medical supplies such as hospital beds, infusion pumps and scalpels. The new plan reportedly would see the scope of the effort expanded significantly.

Chris Holt, the Amazon executive who oversees the healthcare wing of Amazon Business, told the Journal that “our goal is to be something new.” He added that the company is “actively building out new capabilities and features” to streamline purchases.

One particular focus seems to be price comparison. Amazon is reportedly running a pilot with a large Midwestern hospital system that includes, among other things, features designed to let employees check how the prices on Amazon Business match up against rates offered by traditional distributors.

Despite the lack of more detailed information about the initiative, Wall Street is taking it seriously. CNBC reported that the share prices of top hospital suppliers McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health Inc. and Owens & Minor Inc. are currently down more than 2 percent.

Major shipping providers experienced a similar drop last week after another report by the Journal claimed that Amazon is preparing to launch a package delivery service. Arguably, the online retail giant has the potential to make a bigger impact in the medical supplies industry since the segment lies somewhat closer to its core competency of e-commerce.

Amazon is starting to establish a presence in other parts of the healthcare sector, too. A couple weeks ago, the company announced a partnership with Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. to provide to their combined 1 million employees with “high-quality and transparent healthcare at a reasonable cost.”

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