Big tech companies, like Apple, Google and Microsoft, have already revolutionized the way we communicate, shop, socialize and work. But now, they’re after health care. As consumers, medical centers and insurers increasingly embrace health-tracking apps and tech companies want a bigger share of the more than $3 trillion spent annually on health care in America. Big tech companies are speeding up their efforts to reform health care by developing apps and tools for consumers, patients, doctors, insurers and medical researchers. They are also increasingly investing in health start-ups. Ten of the largest tech companies in the U.S. were involved in health care equity deals worth $2.7 billion, and that’s just in the first 11 months of this year. Each company is taking its own approach; for example, Apple is focusing on consumer products while Microsoft is focusing on online storage and analytics services. Physicians and researchers say it is too soon to tell whether apps for watches and smartphones will help reduce disease and prolong lives, or if they will instead just send more people to the doctor to get unnecessary tests done.
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