A March 18th Fast Company article touched on Apple’s relatively new interest in the $3 trillion healthcare market. The article focuses on a patient awaiting a heart transplant, which could take years. The patient uses an iPad to message nurses, order magazines, make notes, browse medication side effects, and reserve lodging for visiting friends and family. The next step is deeper integration with doctors and personalized applications.
A main reason hospitals have been slow to adopt mobile and consumer technologies is their dependency on on-premises enterprise software and the difficulty getting doctors and health professionals on the same page. Healthcare is one of the largest sectors Apple is infiltrating, along with Samsung and Alphabet. Hospitals are also embracing the convergence, such as Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, which features an “O Bar” modeled after an Apple retail store. It’s essentially a store that sells doctor-recommended products such as iPads, activity monitors, wireless scales, and blood pressure monitors. The goal is to encourage patients to gather data outside of the hospital to be included in their electronic medical records.
