A recent CNBC article reports that Apple has hired more than 40 individuals such as technologists and health providers for its new medical clinics, according to a LinkedIn search.
News of the clinics first surfaced in February. Going by the name AC Wellness, their purpose is initially to serve Apple’s employees in Santa Clara County, where Apple’s headquarters is located. The initiative is a separate subsidiary of Apple.
Most new employees joined AC Wellness in the past three months. The tech giant has recruited about 12 people from Crossover Health, which ran clinics for Apple in the Bay Area and still does elsewhere. Other hires come from healthcare technology startups.
Overall, the majority of the recruits aren’t physicians. Instead, Apple is bringing on nutritionists, nurse practitioners and exercise specialists. It has also hired about six care navigators, who guide patients to the best care, whether a lifestyle change or a conversation with a specialist.
A few notable team members include Jennifer Gibson, the former head of coaching at health coaching startup Vida Health. Gibson will serve the Apple initiative’s wellness lead. Doctors Darren Phelan, a former Stanford community physician, and Nitun Verma, who was previously with Crossover Health, also joined AC Wellness.
Individuals familiar with the matter told CNBC that Apple’s Sumbul Desai, a doctor and the former chief digital officer at the Stanford Center for Digital Health, is heading up AC Wellness.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
According to the initiative’s website, hires must “have an appreciation for the patient experience and passion for wellness and population health.”
The Cupertino, California-based company, which recently became the first U.S. organization to be publicly valued at $1 trillion, has been making other moves in healthcare as well. It’s continuing its quest to give patients access to their personal health data, and entities like Cleveland Clinic have joined the cohort of organizations utilizing the Apple Health Records program.
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