Becker's Hospital Review

38 CMO / CARE DELIVERY Inside Sources Say Apple Pursued Talks to Buy Medical Clinics By Alyssa Rege A pple was reportedly in talks to pur- chase Aliso Viejo, Calif.-based Cross- over Health, a healthcare startup that works with self-insured employers to provide medical and wellness services at onsite clin- ics. e move heightens speculation about the tech giant's potential foray into the health- care space, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CNBC. Negotiations between the two organizations re- portedly lasted "months" but did not end in a deal, according to one source. Two other sourc- es claimed Apple also approached San Francis- co-based One Medical, a concierge medicine primary care organization, the report states. Sources told CNBC Apple's health team has discussed expanding into the primary care sector for more than a year. However, it is unclear if the company aims to build its own network of primary care clinics, similar to the format of its retail stores, or whether it would partner with existing medical organizations. Apple CEO Tim Cook has also publicly ex- pressed interest in the numerous business op- portunities the healthcare sector may provide. In a September interview with Fortune, Mr. Cook said, "ere's much more in the health area. ere's a lot of stuff I can't tell you about that [Apple is] working on, some of which it's clear there's a commercial business there … I do think it's a big area for Apple's future." In conjunction with Mr. Cook's sentiments, Apple has hired "dozens" of health consul- tants and medical experts in recent years, including Sumbul Desai, MD, the former ex- ecutive director of the Stanford (Calif.) Med- icine Center for Digital Health. e company reportedly hired Dr. Desai in June to a senior position to promote the various health uses for its Apple Watch. e tech giant has partnered with researchers at Stanford to improve its digital health so- ware and make the iPhone "the central reposi- tory for patient health information," the report states. e company also previously released two soware tools — Apple's HealthKit and ResearchKit — to share patients' health infor- mation with third-party developers and re- cruit patients for clinical studies, respectively. Richard V. Milani, MD, chief clinical transfor- mation officer and vice chairman for the de- partment of cardiology at Jefferson, La.-based Ochsner Health System, told CNBC Apple's foray into the healthcare space may prove to be incredibly beneficial for the industry. "Such a move wouldn't surprise me as Apple has demonstrated that its interest in health care isn't superficial," said Dr. Milani. "Prima- ry care is in great need of re-imagining and rethinking." n Shortage of Anesthesiologists Causes Denver VA Hospital to Postpone Dozens of Surgeries By Ayla Ellison D enver Veterans Affairs Medical Center has delayed between 65 and 95 nonemergency surgeries since early August due to a shortage of anesthesiologists, according to The Denver Post. The hospital has eight anesthesiologists and eight nurse anesthetists, but they are unable to keep up with the near- ly 400 surgeries performed at the hospital each month, a hospital spokesperson told The Denver Post. The spokes- person noted that in recent months some staff have left for other jobs or are on paternity and maternity leave, which has caused the shortage. "In Colorado, it's a very competitive market for physicians in general, and particularly anesthesiologists," Ellen Mangione, MD, chief of staff for the Eastern Colorado Health System, which operates Denver's veterans hospital, told Fox-31 News. Dr. Mangione said the hospital is taking several steps to fill the shortage of physicians. The hospital signed a con- tract Oct. 1 that allows it to hire physicians and nurses on a freelance basis from nearby hospitals. The hospital also in- creased the annual salaries it can offer anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists to $400,000 and $173,000, respectively. n Which 10 US States Have the Most Overworked Nurses? By Mary Rechtoris T here is a shortage of nurses throughout the U.S., with Hawaii having the fewest nurses per 1,000 residents. Using U.S. Census Bureau, FBI crime and Kaiser Family Foundation data, Medicare Health Plans compiled a list of states and U.S. regions boasting the highest percent- age of overworked nurses. Here are the top 10 based on the number of nurses per 1,000 people: 1. Hawaii: 1.9 2. Utah: 5.7 3. Wisconsin: 5.8 4. Wyoming: 6.0 5. Washington, D.C.: 7.9 5. Washington: 7.9 6. North Carolina: 8.3 7. Oregon: 8.4 8. Nevada: 9.2 8. New Hampshire: 9.2 n

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