Becker's Hospital Review

38 POPULATION HEALTH 38 CEO / STRATEGY Apple's healthcare push stalled by employee departures By Alia Paavola A pple's healthcare-related initiatives have struggled to gain traction, partially due to staff departures, e Wall Street Journal reported June 16. Apple has considered several ways to make a splash in healthcare, but many of the initiatives have stalled, according to the report. One such initiative was a subscription-based pri- mary care healthcare service with Apple-employed physicians and its own clinics, an idea conceived in 2016 when Apple was trying to figure out how data collected from its Apple Watch users could be used to improve healthcare, according to the Journal. According to documents obtained by the Journal, Apple thought that if it could prove the combina- tion of its device, soware and primary care service could improve health and lower costs, the compa- ny could expand the model to health systems. To help pilot the project, Apple decided to test the service on its employees. Apple started operating health clinics near its headquarters, and in 2017 hired Sumbul Desai, MD, from Stanford (Calif.) University to oversee the effort, internally dubbed Casper. Although Apple is still building the pri- mary care centers, it has struggled, according to the report. e primary care clinic launch overseen by Dr. Desai has seen multiple staff departures, according to the report. e people who have le said that company culture discouraged feedback, and some employees have expressed concerns that internal data from the clinic is inaccurate or compiled hap- hazardly, the Journal reported. One employee said a midlevel manager le the company shortly aer Dr. Desai responded an- grily to the manager's questions about data at a 2019 meeting. An Apple spokesperson told the Journal the in- cident was investigated thoroughly, and Apple is proud of Dr. Desai's work. Another initiative that Dr. Desai's team launched is a digital health app called HealthHabit, which is being tested by Apple employees in Califor- nia. It has reportedly struggled with engagement since launching six months ago, according to the report. n Saint Luke's consolidated leadership model worked in Missouri — so the system will try it in Kansas By Morgan Haefner S aint Luke's Health System is consolidating leadership at two of its hospi- tals in Kansas after the model proved successful in its Missouri market. Single-executive oversight has improved the recruitment and retain- ment of physicians and has allowed the hospitals to offer a more consis- tent patient experience, according to a June 15 news release. Effective Aug. 1, Allen County Regional Hospital in Iola, Kan., and Ander- son County Hospital in Garnett, Kan., will be led by one administrator: El- more Patterson. Mr. Patterson joined Saint Luke's in 2020 as administrator for Allen County Regional. "These changes mirror an operational model implemented three years ago at Hedrick Medical Center in Chillicothe and Wright Memorial Hospi- tal in Trenton, our two Missouri Critical Access Hospitals," Steve Schieber, Saint Luke's Critical Access Region CEO, said in the news release. "Both facilities have thrived under the new model which has resulted in greater clinical and operational consistency through the appointment and lead- ership of a single administrator. In addition, it has led to increased em- ployee engagement and patient satisfaction at both hospitals." The change comes as Anderson County Hospital's administrator, Rich McK- ain, will leave to oversee Saint Luke's radiology and outpatient imaging services. He became administrator of Anderson County Hospital in 2016. Saint Luke's is a 16-hospital system based in Kansas City, Mo. n Amazon opens 3 employee health clinics in Detroit By Jackie Drees A mazon has opened three new health centers in Detroit for its em- ployees through a partnership with Crossover Health, a medical group that works with self-insured employers, according to a June 14 Royal Oak Tribune report. Amazon partnered with Crossover Health in March to open Neighbor- hood Health Centers in Michigan, California, Texas, Arizona and Ken- tucky. The centers offer primary care services, physical therapy, chiro- practic and mental health services. With the health centers, Amazon aims to lower the cost of healthcare for employees and their family members. The centers, which are open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends, are designed as an option for Amazon employees to avoid more expensive visits to emergency rooms or urgent care centers. "[The goal] is to take into account what's our priority for you and how does this fit into the bigger scheme of who you are and what obligations you have outside of being an Amazon employee," said Melanie Odeleye, MD, physi- cian manager of the three Detroit Amazon clinics, according to the report. Amazon's health centers are open every day except Christmas. n

• Cover