Apple Considered Buying Medical Clinic Startup Crossover Health

[Rogifan]

You're underestimating the complexity of the music industry. Note that the countless interest groups were so out of alignment that nobody could find the right solution to save the music industry which was headed for total collapse. Nobody could find a solution despite billions of dollars at stake. Then came iPod + iTunes.

The health industry is far too bureaucratic, politicized and unnecessarily complex. Leave it to Apple to become the company that finds a way to simplify it and get it to serve its purpose more efficiently.

This news makes perfect sense.

Sorry this is the epitome of Steve Jobs RDF. There is absolutely no comparison between the entertainment industry and health care. Heath care is 1000% more complex not to mention highly regulated. The idea that Apple’s gonna waltz and fix the US health care system is laughable.
[doublepost=1508203987][/doublepost]

Tim Cook realizes that Apple has to diversify its portfolio of products and services to remain relevant, longevity and profitability to its shareholders and customers.

The iPhone is only going to be a profitable one trick pony for so long before demand levels off and eventually declines. It’s part of a products life cycle.

There are signs that demand for the iPhone has reached the plateau stage, hence we have the price increase with the iPhone X, 8, 7 to maintain profit margins. Raising prices is a risky gamble as the market decides what is acceptable, remember the original iPhone which was introduced with 4GB of storage only to be dropped months later and a price drop to follow.

With the price increase of the X, there will be some market demand as it’s a shiny new product similar to when the screen size was introduced with the 6 and 6+. Only to follow with declining sales as the initial demand for a large screen was met. This is a redux of the 6 intro where bezel-less is the new fad.

I see nothing wrong with this news, you don’t believe the new Apple Campus is just to develop iOS and Mac hardware and software do you
[doublepost=1508203296][/doublepost]

Unless you are an infant, pregnant, an elderly person or severely ill, you are wasting your time with that flu shot. You have a capable immune system that has a specific job to do. If you fall ill relatively ease you need to seek medical assistance for what is the underlying cause. Drug resistant bacteria and viruses is one of the biggest threats facing humans and animals.

If you are being cheeky never mind, probably cheaper to buy a new iPhone than replace the screen

I understand the need for diversification but if people thought Apple building an autonomous vehicle was nuts how in the world does buying primary care clinics make sense? Just because Apple hired a few health experts to work on Apple Watch doesn’t make Apple a healthcare company. Every industry is impacted by technology; doesn’t mean Apple needs to become some conglomerate like GE playing in all these different industries.

 

[code-m]

Sorry this is the epitome of Steve Jobs RDF. There is absolutely no comparison between the entertainment industry and health care. Heath care is 1000% more complex not to mention highly regulated. The idea that Apple’s gonna waltz and fix the US health care system is laughable.
[doublepost=1508203987][/doublepost]
I understand the need for diversification but if people thought Apple building an autonomous vehicle was nuts how in the world does buying primary care clinics make sense? Just because Apple hired a few health experts to work on Apple Watch doesn’t make Apple a healthcare company. Every industry is impacted by technology; doesn’t mean Apple needs to become some conglomerate like GE playing in all these different industries.

R and D, for present devices, future possibilities and services. May be Tim Cook does believe Apple needs to be like GE at present, the alternative is become Sony or resembles some component of it. We know the answer to this through history.

The biggest threat to Apple is Amazon and Google. It has to explore opportunities and possibilities to stay viable now and into the future.

Apples has already explained its philosophy that it takes years to refine an idea and does not mind erasing it and going back to the drawing board to produce a refined product it believes is representative of its vision for its customers to experience.

This recent news may bare fruit or nothing or may be used to a limited degree in other products, we just don’t know. Waiting and seeing is part of this excitement that has many loyal Apple customers for years.

Apple has all this money and as a company it has to show its shareholders that it is actively seeking markets to grow in or refine to return a profit. Having excess money in the bank does a company no benefit and shareholders get nervous that a company has no vision or direction for it future and investment.

Selling iOS and Mac hardware and software is only going to stagnate in the near future. Apple is using it as a hub for all these auxiliary products and services. It’s the bigger picture,”Apple Life.” It would not surprise if a clinic is dedicated to Steve Jobs.

There was recent news that Amazon and Google was getting into the financial loans sector. Amazon also is looking at food service, delivery and parcel delivery services. Apple is actually trailing Amazon in diversification.

 

[ipedro]

The idea that Apple’s gonna waltz and fix the US health care system is laughable.

Are you doing this on purpose?

“PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in.” — Palm CEO, 2007

There have been indications that Apple is in fact just waltzing in like the own the place. Apple was one of a very limited number companies chosen by the FDA to sidestep traditional regulations on certifying medical devices.

Healthcare is in fact highly regulated. Apple has been going about it by working around those limitations by playing just barely outside the jurisdiction of the FDA. Buying a company that already lives inside that world and has the experience, relationships and the permissions to work in healthcare bridges the gap. This is an argument for buying that chain of clinics.

 

[Rogifan]

Are you doing this on purpose?

“PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in.” — Palm CEO, 2007

Right because fixing the US healthcare system is equivalent to building a pocket computer. Please be serious.

 

[ipedro]

Right because fixing the US healthcare system is equivalent to building a pocket computer. Please be serious.

It's easy to forget the coup that was Apple coming in and taking over the massive cell phone industry. In retrospect, it feels obvious and predictable but back then, nobody familiar with the industry thought it could be done. Telcos were too hard fisted, powerful and ruthless. It was a mafia. You didn't release a cell phone without being stripped to your underpants, stamped with a brand and loaded with bloatware by the cell companies.

I'm not saying that it's going to be a cakewalk. But I see a path for tech companies — namely Apple — to transform the healthcare field. First by decentralizing healthcare by giving every individual their own medical grade health monitor on their wrist, masquerading it as fun and fashionable. Once you're capturing your health data, a health company with the appropriate licenses can pick up on the diagnostic and treatment aspects.

The path there is pretty straightforward and predictable given what we already know about Apple's activities in healthcare.

 

[citysnaps]

Apple is well positioned and is working closely with the FDA, and, various university hospitals, such as Stanford Medical Center here in silicon valley. There's enormous potential ahead.

 

[pdaholic]

First by decentralizing healthcare by giving every individual their own medical grade health monitor on their wrist, masquerading it as fun and fashionable. Once you're capturing your health data, a health company with the appropriate licenses can pick up on the diagnostic and treatment aspects.

I appreciate your high hopes for this tech, but there’s only so much health data that can be obtained from a wrist. Thus far all we can get is a heart rate, and will likely be able to capture rhythm. We can probably ascertain if someone is in normal sinus rhythm vs. atrial fibrillation or maybe even fast regular rhythms like SVT. It says nothing about the appearance of the electrical impulses creating the rhythms, which are more important at determining the presence of heart disease.

They can’t even get sensors working correctly that can determine pulse oximetry, let alone blood pressure and blood glucose (two other parameters I’ve seen tossed around here).

Just saying that there’s a lot more going on in the human body than what can be found on a wrist.

 

[MH01]

Good gosh, enough with the “magical” nonsense. Is that the only adjective TC knows?

Agreed. Innovation works better when you believe in science and not magic

 

[purplehaze0]

Good

 

[DeepIn2U]

Healthcare is increasingly going to become a technology industry. We're quickly heading towards a near future where our wearable personal assistants (i.e. Apple Watch) will be able to act like a Tricorder and diagnose health problems before they show symptoms. From there, it's not much of a leap for a computer to present the solution which could involve personalized medication shipped to your home.

This is what Apple in the Tim Cook era has been getting very right. Tim's bet on health is already paying off but once the scenario I outlined above arrives, Apple is going to be so far ahead of the competition that it'll take them half a decade to catch up.

Sorry but I’m not looking forward to a world of Elysium! If that movie with ever evolving technology advancement and Apple hsiotrical advertisement and device cost structure is a sign of; then we’ll never see the end of Haves vs Have Nots.

Oh wait we already have his today across the globe and you don’t even have to travel more than 6000 miles to see it or back in time 30yrs.

 

[Digitalclips]

Healthcare is increasingly going to become a technology industry. We're quickly heading towards a near future where our wearable personal assistants (i.e. Apple Watch) will be able to act like a Tricorder and diagnose health problems before they show symptoms. From there, it's not much of a leap for a computer to present the solution which could involve personalized medication shipped to your home.

This is what Apple in the Tim Cook era has been getting very right. Tim's bet on health is already paying off but once the scenario I outlined above arrives, Apple is going to be so far ahead of the competition that it'll take them half a decade to catch up.

My biggest concern for AAPL is the potential for horrendous legal suits and class actions down the road when Apple get targeted by lawyers wanting line their pockets for some death or serious illness they connect to use of Apple technology even if spurious.

 

[repoman016]

Correct. This is not something new, by the way.



Total BS. You just showed that you have no idea what you are talking about.



In a century, when what you described happens, Apple may not even exist...

Sorry, nothing personal, but this is my field of work, and the really is way more complex that it looks like.

I have to agree with ipedro. Apple is already updating the watch to detect "irregular heartbeats" why wouldn't that lead us to believe that its only going to go further from there?

 

[Zorn]

Am I the only one that wondered why the Toyota logo was turned sideways on this office wall?

 

[Rick7]

Let’s not lose sight of the possible value proposition of Apple acquiring Crossover Health,

with regards to strategic partnering possibilities with Crossover’s current clients;

Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Appllied Material, and Linkedin. Think of the

possibilities of these Silicon Valley icons team for the common cause of addressing

preventative health; population healthcare; direct-to-consumer genome sequencing;

and overall healthcare cost containment.


Another important fact is that Crossover Health and Towers Watson are in partnership in

the establishment of “on-site/near-site” employer clinics. Having Towers Watson, one of

the top 5 corporate health insurance benefits brokers, provides implementation support,

quality oversight and performance measurement services. Corporate doors would open

when Towers and Apple knock!!


Having access to large corporate entiies that can easily be the Trojan horse to

gain access not only to offer preferential pricing of Apple products, but more

importantly to access 10s of thousands patient data that could, in turn, be used

for internal healthcare iniatives. I believe if Apple had acquired Crossover,

a major payor would jump at the chance to partner and provide access to millions of

patient data....thereby allowing Apple to compile a massavive anomized patient database.

Another possibiility, Apple would have immediate access to enlist particiapnts in

any clinical trial or research study.


The possibiliites of Apple and Crossover partnering still may emerge, I hope!

 

[Solomani]

Introducing Apple Health.

Siri is the doctor and your insurance won’t cover any of the services.

AppleCare > ObamaCare

 

[ipedro]

Sorry but I’m not looking forward to a world of Elysium! If that movie with ever evolving technology advancement and Apple hsiotrical advertisement and device cost structure is a sign of; then we’ll never see the end of Haves vs Have Nots.

Oh wait we already have his today across the globe and you don’t even have to travel more than 6000 miles to see it or back in time 30yrs.

Huh? How many poor people had access to the internet 10 years ago? Today, many have smartphones from Android brands standing on the shoulders of the original iPhone. Cheap smart watches will emerge giving developing nations access to healthcare that simply cannot exist in today's healthcare model.

 

[chucker23n1]

I appreciate your high hopes for this tech, but there’s only so much health data that can be obtained from a wrist.

…today.

They can’t even get sensors working correctly that can determine pulse oximetry, let alone blood pressure and blood glucose (two other parameters I’ve seen tossed around here).

At this point, yup. But ten years from now may be a different story. And even if not, there's not much keeping Apple from launching a FreeStyle Libre competitor that's a much better user experience because of tight Apple Watch integration.

 

[pdaholic]

At this point, yup. But ten years from now may be a different story. And even if not, there's not much keeping Apple from launching a FreeStyle Libre competitor that's a much better user experience because of tight Apple Watch integration.

And 10 years from now, we will have jet cars ala the Jetsons.

Wishing don't make it so...

 

[chucker23n1]

And 10 years from now, we will have jet cars ala the Jetsons.

Wishing don't make it so...

Again, Apple could already make a huge dent in this just by improving the UX one tiny bit compared to the FreeStyle Libre. Which frankly isn’t hard. Abbott got some stuff right, but far from everything.

Obviously, non-invasive is a ways off. But a sensor you replace every two weeks isn’t that big a deal. A sensor that’s smaller, needs replacing less often, cause fewer problems showering/swimming/exercising, integrates nicely with the Watch? Lots of room for iterative improvement. Those may seem like small steps, but they affect millions in their everyday struggle to deal with a disease.

 

[code-m]

Agreed. Innovation works better when you believe in science and not magic

Science, magic, interchangeable depending on the show person and their audience
[doublepost=1508306207][/doublepost]

And 10 years from now, we will have jet cars ala the Jetsons.

Wishing don't make it so...

Jet cars, you are living in the past. By 2022 it’s going to be the BFR

 

[alex2792]

Well not interested much computer hardware? Apple barely makes computers anymore. Seen their new store design? They have 2 iMacs, 6 laptops and monitor. More space dedicated to iPhone cases then hardware. Don't seem to be handling core business very well but maybe Apple thinks they are by putting the amount of effort they want too.

Macs exist for iOS development, mobile has been Apple’s core business since the iPod days.

 

[DeepIn2U]

Huh? How many poor people had access to the internet 10 years ago? Today, many have smartphones from Android brands standing on the shoulders of the original iPhone. Cheap smart watches will emerge giving developing nations access to healthcare that simply cannot exist in today's healthcare model.

Accessing the internet is NOT the topic so you clearly didn't not understand my point (Elysium movies focus was not on the internet either lol). This is not about the iPhone either ... really going way off the focus when misquoting me for your rebuttal. Cheap Smart Watches is NOT the focus I was aiming for either. Maybe I wasn't clear enough.

HealthCare was the focus and my use of Elysium the movie in context to this article and how it relates to Apple.
1. Apple traditionally & continually has products much more expensive than the competition in almost every segment and has since 1996 - I'm old enough to know these days.
- biggest push or value add is style/design and that 'intersection between technoloyg and liberal arts' junk. It's a product not a psych major course or daily conversation with Plato.

2. HealthCare products (Vaccines, Cures, treatment, surgeries, HMO's/Insurance Coverage Plan fine print, etc) in ALL the Western World has ALWAYS taken DECADES to reduce cost, increate availability, and allow coverage for citizens!
- what was that guys name now in jail who jacked up the price of an essential vaccine (?) for HIV care ... yet not jaile for doing that? Thats was just an example of what we're seeing. The OPIATE epedemic in the USA ... caused not from a traditional street drug but from a few pharmaceuticals which now kill more in a year than car accidents! The same company's that manufacture this drug now have a treatment drug to counteract it. It's worse than Percs ... the names escape me at the moment focusing on a lot today.
- Small Pocks, Measles, TB shots, etc. All taken over 20yrs for cheap pricing and destribution and availability.
- Heart Surgery, biopsies, CAT Scans, etc. I can just focus on these in N. America alone (excluding Mexico).

3. Elsyium reference was specific to highlight these issues and yet regardless of the massive increased size of population which would return huge revenues (most cures/vaccines/treatments are heavily funded by governments) did not drop pricing nor increase availability or distribution. The movies solution was the MedBed's which did everything for curing, thus no vaccines where ever required. The system of control or the system of profits always wins ... there is not benign neglect in the pharmaceutical or health care industries.

 

[ipedro]

Accessing the internet is NOT the topic so you clearly didn't not understand my point (Elysium movies focus was not on the internet either lol). This is not about the iPhone either ... really going way off the focus when misquoting me for your rebuttal. Cheap Smart Watches is NOT the focus I was aiming for either. Maybe I wasn't clear enough.

HealthCare was the focus and my use of Elysium the movie in context to this article and how it relates to Apple.
1. Apple traditionally & continually has products much more expensive than the competition in almost every segment and has since 1996 - I'm old enough to know these days.
- biggest push or value add is style/design and that 'intersection between technoloyg and liberal arts' junk. It's a product not a psych major course or daily conversation with Plato.

2. HealthCare products (Vaccines, Cures, treatment, surgeries, HMO's/Insurance Coverage Plan fine print, etc) in ALL the Western World has ALWAYS taken DECADES to reduce cost, increate availability, and allow coverage for citizens!
- what was that guys name now in jail who jacked up the price of an essential vaccine (?) for HIV care ... yet not jaile for doing that? Thats was just an example of what we're seeing. The OPIATE epedemic in the USA ... caused not from a traditional street drug but from a few pharmaceuticals which now kill more in a year than car accidents! The same company's that manufacture this drug now have a treatment drug to counteract it. It's worse than Percs ... the names escape me at the moment focusing on a lot today.
- Small Pocks, Measles, TB shots, etc. All taken over 20yrs for cheap pricing and destribution and availability.
- Heart Surgery, biopsies, CAT Scans, etc. I can just focus on these in N. America alone (excluding Mexico).

3. Elsyium reference was specific to highlight these issues and yet regardless of the massive increased size of population which would return huge revenues (most cures/vaccines/treatments are heavily funded by governments) did not drop pricing nor increase availability or distribution. The movies solution was the MedBed's which did everything for curing, thus no vaccines where ever required. The system of control or the system of profits always wins ... there is not benign neglect in the pharmaceutical or health care industries.

You don't understand analogies. The topic isn't the internet but a demonstration that people in poor nations didn't have internet and after the iPhone popularized pocket computers, billions more people have access to the internet. Do those poor people use iPhones? Of course not. Apple lead the way for cheap smartphones to become viable which is how those poor nations got connected.

That is an analogy to the scenario where an expensive health device will trickle down to the lower end of the market. There's a demand. The technology and use cases will have been figured out. Like most technologies, it'll take a concerted effort paid for by expensive devices that'll enable other manufacturers to produce budget versions of those.

Healthcare will in fact become cheaper when computers are able to diagnose millions of people, replacing the unmeetable demand for doctors in those parts of the world. Doctors will still exist but like many computer and/or robot assisted industries, fewer humans are necessary to perform the job and prices fall. This is the opposite of the scenario that you believe will happen.

Elysium is a movie. There are plot holes that ignore market forces and the dissemination of knowledge. In the movie, the world has gone to crap and the rich get to go to a space colony where there are none of those problems and the poor have to stay on Earth where somehow they're denied the advances in technology to cure all diseases. How is that even remotely like the situation before us?