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Apple’s new health records feature will allow iPhone users to transfer certain medical data directly to their iPhones from participating medical providers.
In the latest indication of Apple’s growing ambitions in the digital health market, the tech giant on Wednesday morning unveiled a new feature that would allow users to automatically download and see parts of their medical records on their iPhones.
The feature is to become part of Apple’s popular Health app. It will enable users to transfer clinical data — like cholesterol levels and lists of medications prescribed by their doctors — directly from their medical providers to their iPhones, potentially streamlining how Americans gain access to some health information.
A dozen medical institutions across the United States — including Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore and Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles — have agreed to participate in the beta version of the new feature. Apple plans to open the beta test to consumers on Thursday.
Apple said it will not see consumers’ medical data, which is encrypted and stored locally on the iPhone, unless the user chooses to share it with the company.
“It’s really strange to me that you can easily pull up all of your spending record on your credit card going back a long way in every detail, yet your health is way more important and you don’t have easy access to your health information,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “We want to make sure that consumers are empowered with information about their health.”
Via Pharma Guy
