Having already moved into health technology and financial services, Apple's next big opportunity may be in medical billing, experts told CNBC.
Four things to know:
1. Patients often face challenges in paying their medical bills, including confusing statements and lack of long-term payment options.
2. Florian Otto, CEO of patient-billing app Cedar, told CNBC some payment challenges could be overcome if Apple Pay were on iPads in physician offices and hospitals, enabling upfront payments from patients who can afford them.
3. Mr. Otto said Apple could also provide a healthcare price estimate in real time, so patients could get a better idea of their costs before a bill comes. He noted that implementing real-time estimates would be more complex than increasing patients' Apple Pay usage.
4. Apple could also help alleviate medical debt. Victor Echevarria, a principal at Jackson Square Ventures, founded a company called Remedy that tried unsuccessfully to help alleviate medical debt by correcting mistakes in patients' bills and getting them refunds, according to CNBC.
He told the TV station: "If Apple could do something about that [the medical debt problem], it would be a wonderful thing."
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