Big announcement by Apple with new subscriptions for news, tv, gaming, and a credit card offer that may impact the credit card industry. This can be a great play and set up for the healthcare industry as Apple looks to keep the 1.4B devices users in the ecosystem. The top three areas that healthcare vendors and providers can think about are:
1. Home care health — We can all agree that the future of healthcare will be at a setting that is convenient for the patient and the home is definitely a great option. The TV streaming ecosystem is the perfect platform for telemedicine. For the last few years, I have seen the cable tv providers attempt at a play to provide telehealth to their members but it has not been a core strategy, therefore it did not gain the market traction. Now with the Apple TV ecosystem, the market is ripe for a telehealth vendor or hospital organization to take advantage of the platform to offer healthcare services. Quick virtual consultation, remote patient interaction, and other forms of patient engagement as a strategy for population health is an area to consider to take advantage of the platform.
2. Credit card — Health systems are still catching up to accept apple pay as a mechanism to pay for your healthcare bill. With the apple credit card, health systems can still focus on accepting apple pay. Another offer can be loyalty rewards when you are using the apple credit card. Healthcare organizations focusing on wellness can set up partnerships with a gym membership and grocery store to promote a healthier lifestyle in order to drive down healthcare cost. This partnership can then provide incentives for consumers that use the apple credit card for payment.
3. Gaming — Healthcare has not tapped into the gamification strategy yet. This is a perfect platform to enhance clinical training as well as a platform to engage with the patients. Think pelaton for healthcare where you are promoting a healthy lifestyle.