Medical Records can now travel with you thanks to Apple
Health Records in Your Back Pocket
Apple has released their newest update for the iPhone’s operating system, iOS 11.3 beta. With the update comes a new feature for Apple’s own Health app. The ability to carry your own health records with you. You can now bring health records from different doctors, practices, and even hospitals all in one place. This is not only a new way to manage multiple data resources, but also integrates with the existing health data that may already be stored in the app.
Who’s Using It?
The patient centered approach that Apple has taken allows consumers to have access to information on allergies, immunizations, procedures, lab results, medications, vitals, and more. However, access to your data may not be available just yet. Your providers must be participating with Apple’s Health app technology before your medical records can be a click away. This may happen soon; big name hospitals such as: Cedars-Sinai, Johns Hopkins, UNC – Chapel Hill Medical Center are leading the charge and are the first to sign on. Quick access to health information is “exciting” noted Stephanie Reel, CIO of Johns Hopkins. Reel also saying: “Streamlining information sharing between patients and their caregivers can go a long way towards making the patient experience a positive one”.
Is It Safe?
With availability to keep personal documents in your pack pocket, the security of your data is important. Apple assures that they have taken multiple steps to ensure the safety of health records. To see what these security steps that Apple have taken were, we at SHP updated our iPhones to iOS 11.3. Within the updated health app Apple explains, “Any health information you receive in connection with this feature will remain encrypted while stored on your device”. The encryption that Apple uses is 256-bit bank level encryption, also Apple does not have access to your data. It is stored either on your phone, or in iCloud if you choose. Apple wants to put access to medical records within in the grasp of every iPhone and the confidence of security that only you, the ones you choose to share it with, and your doctor have access to it.
To learn more about this topic, Apple HealthKit, or Apple security see below:
Source – “Apple, in Sign of Health Ambitions, Adds Medical Records Feature for iPhone” from the staff writers at SavannahCEO. http://savannahceo.com/news/2018/01/apple-sign-health-ambitions-adds-medical-records-feature-iphone/?utm_source=Savannah+CEO&utm_campaign=151b12d020-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_01_25&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8c93e46c9f-151b12d020-303752725
Information on Apple’s HealthKit App: https://www.apple.com/ios/health/
Information on Apple’s security used in this article can be found in the iOS security Manual from January of 2018 found here: https://www.apple.com/business/docs/iOS_Security_Guide.pdf