Following the lead of Amazon and Warren Buffett’s push towards healthcare, iPhone maker Apple is launching its in-house health clinics called “Wellness”.
Like Amazon’s collaboration with Berkshire Hathaway and JP Morgan, the AC Wellness Network intends to serve Apple’s employees and their families providing “compassionate, effective healthcare to the Apple employee population”.
Currently, two healthcare centers are planned to open near Apple Park and Infinite Loop headquarters.
As per the company’s sources, these health clinics will provide a “unique concierge-like healthcare experience” that is “enabled by technology”. As of now, the company promotes its Apple Watch as a health-monitoring device capable to do more than basic fitness tracking.
The company is looking for primary and intense care physicians, physical therapists, nurses and other positions. One position is advert for a primary care physician, stresses on the requirement for the experience of “preventing future disease” and “preventive care” with an “enthusiasm for new methods of care delivery using technology”.
Additionally, Apple is looking to hire “designers” for implementing staff programmes to promote healthy behavior and prevent disease, while information from LinkedIn shows previous Stanford employees connected with the firm.
Apparently, Apple has more than 120,000 employees and with healthcare as one of biggest staffing costs, it will try to reduce its expense by providing in-house services and utilizing proactive plans to improve employee health. According to the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, health care spending totaled $3.3tn in 2016 in the US, an 18% share of the country’s GDP which is around 4.3% higher as compared to the previous year.
Although, healthcare is an essential recruitment tool for businesses in the US, as the companies are benefitted from tax breaks for offering services, yet the expenses of providing those services are growing.
Apple will evidently utilize it's AC Wellness clinics and staff to test its own human services related technologies. The company is engaged in studies around health, partnering with Stanford School of Medicine via its Apple Watch and its heart rate sensor. Additionally, it provides devices and tools to the medical industry, quoting that, it will make healthcare “more personal”.
Apple did not immediately comment.