Apple to Open Medical Clinics

Have you ever been in an Apple store and wondered what the patient experience would be like in an Apple health clinic? Apple employees and their families are about to find out as Apple is opening its own health clinics.

The clinics, called AC Wellness, will open this spring in Santa Clara County, California. A group of clinical staff will run the clinics independently from Apple.

According to the website announcing the coming of the clinics, “AC Wellness Network believes that having trusting, accessible relationships with our patients, enabled by technology, promotes high-quality care and a unique patient experience.

“This is fostered by an environment of continuous learning and teamwork, which in turn allows us to work with our patients to achieve exceptional health outcomes. The centers offer a unique concierge-like healthcare experience for employees and their dependents. Candidates must have an appreciation for the patient experience and passion for wellness and population health—integrating best clinical practices and technology in a manner that drives patient engagement.”

Job Listings

The company is currently advertising for doctors, health coaches and “designers” to create a program to promote healthy behavior. Some of the positions fall outside of traditional medical job titles. For example, the Population Health Program Designer and Clinical Program Designer roles will work together to create new health programs targeting disease prevention, early detection of diseases, ongoing management of chronic diseases and general promotion of healthy lifestyles.

CNBC reported that a job listing for the “network” posted on Indeed.com details “multiple, stunning state-of-the-art medical centers,” in Santa Clara, a few miles north of its headquarters in Cupertino. Another job listing says one of the centers is at the new Apple Park campus.

A LinkedIn search by CNBC uncovered that former Stanford Health Care employees have been affiliated with AC Wellness for at least five months, although there’s no mention of Apple on the people’s profiles. Several of the job listings on Apple’s site describe AC Wellness as a “subsidiary of Apple, Inc.” A medical group can contract out to nonmedical administrators through a subsidiary.

Apple recently scaled back its contract with its current in-house clinic via a start-up called Crossover Health, which CNBC reported that it had considered buying.

CNBC said sources told them the company “will leverage its medical clinics as a way to test its growing range of health services and products, which it is starting to roll out to consumers at large. Just last month the company announced a forthcoming iOS 11.3 update will include options for healthcare providers to integrate health records within the Health app, allowing users to share information with their doctors, receive alerts and more. So far, 12 U.S. hospitals have pledged support for the feature.

Apple is currently working with Stanford to study whether its Apple Watch can detect irregularities with the heart’s rhythm.

Apple CEO Tim Cook, according to CNBC, recently told shareholders that the company could make a “significant contribution” in health care.