Apple's iOS 'Health Records' Feature Now Works With 75+ Providers

[MacRumors]

Apple's Health Records feature, introduced in iOS 11.3, now allows iOS users to access their medical records from more than 75 different hospitals and medical providers in the United States.

Apple maintains a list of all of the healthcare institutions that support Health Records on the iPhone, which as VentureBeat points out, was updated in August ahead of a talk from Apple's Clinical and Health Informatics lead Ricky Bloomfield, M.D. given at the ONC 2nd Interoperability Forum (via EHR Intelligence).

When the Health Records feature first launched earlier this year, it worked with just 12 healthcare providers, a number that Apple has been working to improve. Recent additions include Kaiser in Oregon and Washington, Baptist Health, Buffalo Health, Greater Hudson Valley Health System, UC San Diego Health, UCLA Health, and others.

Health record data is available in the Health app, and allows patients who have multiple healthcare providers to access all of their information in one convenient place.

According to Bloomfield, Apple's Health app leverages Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) that were developed to facilitate better data sharing standards. FHIR is in a draft stage and won't be finalized until the end of the year, but Apple's adoption may drive widespread adoption of FHIR in the medical community.

Apple is using an "Argonaut" implementation of the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources standard, in fact, because it's simple and will encourage medical providers to adopt it.

The Health Records feature in the Health app is designed to connect with partner systems using FHIR to collect data and display it right on a user's device.

"It makes it very easy for you to manage your health information," Bloomfield told attendees of the ONC 2nd Interoperability Forum on August 8. "You as a user have complete control over who has access to the data. If you don't want to share it, it won't be shared. It stays private on your device until you decide to share it."

As Bloomfield explains, Health Records can be accessed in the Health app under the "Health Data" section. After choosing and authenticating with a provider, all relevant medical data is available through the Health app and is updated automatically following doctor visits.

"That significantly reduces the friction typically associated with accessing your health information where you need to remember your credentials, log in, and then get the information," he continued. "And when you have new information, you may get an email that there's new information, but you still need to log in to access the information."

Health Records is designed to display information that includes allergies, vital signs, conditions, immunizations, medications, labs, and procedures.

As with all Apple features, privacy is a key with Health Records. As Bloomfield says, patients have control over who is able to access their data.

Article Link: Apple's iOS 'Health Records' Feature Now Works With 75+ Providers

 

[krause734]

Unless it's universal, it's not going to be very useful.

 

[sidewinder3000]

I love this idea, and it has the potential to become a game changer. But in order for that to happen, Apple will need to do is make the code for this free and create a kit that is cross platform and universal. On rare occasion, Apple has done stuff like this in the past for certain things that they have created. I hope they do it here. And then promote the hell out of it.

 

[macduke]

Was surprised to see my health care provider on this list. I just tried to connect it using the app, and it says "Error! No records found. Click here for more information" which brings me to this message: "No registered support contact information found." It also says at the top "I, Unknown User, …" so something is clearly going wrong. The authorize button is disabled. It connects using the Cerner platform. Does anyone know how to fix this in Cerner? I'm able to view my lab results, messages and other things when I log in on their website.

 

[rockarollr]

This is all fine and good... until your healthcare provider shares all of the detailed information about your previously unknown chronic illness to your insurance company. You might have control over who you share it with, but once it's "out there"... you have no control over it. Crooked insurance companies (and they ALL are crooked) will see this information as a potential gold mine and seek to obtain it any way they can once they know it's available.

 

[johnnyjibbs]

If they add NHS, that’s the whole of the United Kingdom covered

 

[DeepIn2U]

I love this idea, and it has the potential to become a game changer. But in order for that to happen, Apple will need to do is make the code for this free and create a kit that is cross platform and universal. On rare occasion, Apple has done stuff like this in the past for certain things that they have created. I hope they do it here. And then promote the hell out of it.

Unfortunately making this open source or a kit and license free does NOT guarantee a standard or any kind of major uptake.

FireWire / IEEE-1394b ... only Sony took onto this (I recall a WWDC with Jobs and then Sony CEO talking about their partnership with Digital handycams).
^ just one example comes to mind.

 

[andrewsipes]

Apple will need to do is make the code for this free and create a kit that is cross platform and universal.

Apple is basically implementing an existing standard from an international health organization. This is largely a function of standardized, structured data, not some special sauce. Other companies and medical institutions are free to do the same.

From the information mentioned in the article, FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) is a spec by HL7 (Health Level Seven), a not-for-profit, ANSI-accredited standards developing organization. Argonaut focuses on subset of the FHIR spec through core API and data services.

Health Level Seven | http://www.hl7.org/
FHIR Specification | https://www.hl7.org/fhir/overview.html
Argonaut Project | http://argonautwiki.hl7.org/index.php?title=Main_Page

 

[RicD]

This is all fine and good... until your healthcare provider shares all of the detailed information about your previously unknown chronic illness to your insurance company. You might have control over who you share it with, but once it's "out there"... you have no control over it. Crooked insurance companies (and they ALL are crooked) will see this information as a potential gold mine and seek to obtain it any way they can once they know it's available.

“...but once it’s “out there”...”. What folks do not realize is being able to access their providers information via a browser or app it is “out there”. Even if the person does not access their information, it is out there. Otherwise nobody using that provider would be able to access their information. We do not have the ability to have a provider not provide access, we have the ability not to access our information, thus regardless whether we access our information or not it is out there.

 

[rcooked]

This is all fine and good... until your healthcare provider shares all of the detailed information about your previously unknown chronic illness to your insurance company. You might have control over who you share it with, but once it's "out there"... you have no control over it. Crooked insurance companies (and they ALL are crooked) will see this information as a potential gold mine and seek to obtain it any way they can once they know it's available.

You do realize your “insurance provider” already has this information from your physician. They pay the bill, and they call the shots. They know exactly what is going on with your health, and rest assured your individual or group rates are based on this.

It’s all perfectly legal - regardless of if we like it or not.

Unless you’re paying cash...

 

[sidewinder3000]

Apple is basically implementing an existing standard from an international health organization. This is largely a function of standardized, structured data, not some special sauce. Other companies and medical institutions are free to do the same.

From the information mentioned in the article, FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) is a spec by HL7 (Health Level Seven), a not-for-profit, ANSI-accredited standards developing organization. Argonaut focuses on subset of the FHIR spec through core API and data services.

Health Level Seven | http://www.hl7.org/
FHIR Specification | https://www.hl7.org/fhir/overview.html
Argonaut Project | http://argonautwiki.hl7.org/index.php?title=Main_Page

Thanks for the insight. So basically, Apple is tapping into a universal standard and then putting their own interface on it on the user end?

 

[Crowbot]

This is all fine and good... until your healthcare provider shares all of the detailed information about your previously unknown chronic illness to your insurance company. You might have control over who you share it with, but once it's "out there"... you have no control over it. Crooked insurance companies (and they ALL are crooked) will see this information as a potential gold mine and seek to obtain it any way they can once they know it's available.

Most healthcare organizations are going to electronic records. My personal doc still keeps paper record but hospitals are all electronic. And insurance companies are covered under ht HIPAA law.

https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and...ification/HIPAA-ACA/AreYouaCoveredEntity.html

The fines are very high. I used to work for a major hospital system and the IT people were extremely serious about security. But using the Health app is a choice.

 

[andrewsipes]

Thanks for the insight. So basically, Apple is tapping into a universal standard and then putting their own interface on it on the user end?

From what I gather, yes. The medical institutions and EMR software providers are doing the data side of this. Apple is essentially the presentation layer.

Apple is most likely encouraging these institutions into adopting this standard, but they could adopt it without Apple's help if they wanted to. The standard increases interoperability between medical practices as well, so even without a polished, patient facing app, there is much to be gained.

 

[sidewinder3000]

From what I gather, yes. The medical institutions and EMR software providers are doing the data side of this. Apple is essentially the presentation layer.

Apple is most likely encouraging these institutions into adopting this standard, but they could adopt it without Apple's help if they wanted to. The standard increases interoperability between medical practices as well, so even without a polished, patient facing app, there is much to be gained.

Last question: is there just one of these universal standards, or there multiple, competing ones? I am hoping it is the former.

 

[Rogifan]

Nothing for my State (Minnesota) yet.

 

[peterh988]

If they add NHS, that’s the whole of the United Kingdom covered

Although given the NHS history with computer systems.......................

 

[2010mini]

This is all fine and good... until your healthcare provider shares all of the detailed information about your previously unknown chronic illness to your insurance company. You might have control over who you share it with, but once it's "out there"... you have no control over it. Crooked insurance companies (and they ALL are crooked) will see this information as a potential gold mine and seek to obtain it any way they can once they know it's available.

HIPAA laws expressly forbids the sharing of patient records with insurance companies without a ROI from the patient. I have been in the pharmaceutical/healthcare industry for over 10 years. And from my experience... no healthcare provider would risk their practice/medical license doing that.

 

[nwcs]

Apple is basically implementing an existing standard from an international health organization. This is largely a function of standardized, structured data, not some special sauce. Other companies and medical institutions are free to do the same.

From the information mentioned in the article, FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) is a spec by HL7 (Health Level Seven), a not-for-profit, ANSI-accredited standards developing organization. Argonaut focuses on subset of the FHIR spec through core API and data services.

Health Level Seven | http://www.hl7.org/
FHIR Specification | https://www.hl7.org/fhir/overview.html
Argonaut Project | http://argonautwiki.hl7.org/index.php?title=Main_Page

Yes, it’s a world I have to partially live in. HL7 is the earlier standard and FHIR is trying to replace it. It’s more of a suggestion than a strong standard and Cerner is very strongly pushing it, though. It’s something my company spends a lot of time and resources dealing with on a daily basis.

The issue isn’t the data standards but establishing trusted endpoints. And when you factor in hipaa, hitech, and hitrust laws and certifications this will be a slow rollout for anyone.

 

[andrewsipes]

Last question: is there just one of these universal standards, or there multiple, competing ones? I am hoping it is the former.

Is there just one of these universal standards?

No. I would argue that everyone would have to be using one standard in order for it to be universal. However, nearly all medical institutions are eligible to adopt the new HL7 FHIR spec, spare the cost of doing so.

Are there multiple competing standards?

Sort of. HL7 Version 2.x is firmly entrenched in hospital systems. It's used in more than 35 countries, and by 95% of U.S. healthcare organizations. So people are fairly committed to HL7 standards, but are not using the cutting edge (which is totally fair, considering the cost, development, etc).

You can think of this distribution of standards as similar to the current spread of Android; the majority of users are not using the latest release, and you may need to upgrade hardware or service providers to use the latest software.

tl;dr

No. Yes, but more analogous to dated standards from the same group, rather than from competing groups. It will likely take time, but it looks like FHIR will bring some great things to the healthcare industry.

 

[nwcs]

Last question: is there just one of these universal standards, or there multiple, competing ones? I am hoping it is the former.

I answered that one but it’s essentially one standard as HL7 and FHIR was originally meant to be v2.0 but got its own name. Like many things, it’s a standard done by committee and much room for interpretation in how it’s applied by the various EMRs and other entities.

 

[chucker23n1]

You do realize your “insurance provider” already has this information from your physician. They pay the bill, and they call the shots.

No, they do not. They can see which drugs you're buying (since they pay a share), they can see you've been visiting a doctor, and they may request a doctor's report (such as to confirm that a costly treatment is advisable), but they don't have a full picture. They can only guess and extrapolate what kind of treatment you're getting. They don't get lab results, and they don't listen in on conversations you have with your doctor (nor do they get regular reports on them).

They know exactly what is going on with your health,

That's a stretch.

 

[nwcs]

Most healthcare organizations are going to electronic records. My personal doc still keeps paper record but hospitals are all electronic. And insurance companies are covered under ht HIPAA law.

https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and...ification/HIPAA-ACA/AreYouaCoveredEntity.html

The fines are very high. I used to work for a major hospital system and the IT people were extremely serious about security. But using the Health app is a choice.

Yep. And since patients are not covered entities they have more flexibility.

 

[2010mini]

Last question: is there just one of these universal standards, or there multiple, competing ones? I am hoping it is the former.

There are multiple Electronic Healthcare Records (EHR) and Electronic Medical Records (EMR) currently in use. But the HITECH act, along with other initiatives have put in place a network for interconnectivity of the various standards. This will make it so your personal health records are portable.
[doublepost=1533767096][/doublepost]

Nothing for my State (Minnesota) yet.

check to see if your provider is on the list. If your provider have a patient portal, just sign in and it probably will work. My specific doctor's practice is not on the list. But he is with NYU Langone. I chose one of the NYUL on the list and signed in. worked!

 

[rockarollr]

You do realize your “insurance provider” already has this information from your physician. They pay the bill, and they call the shots. They know exactly what is going on with your health, and rest assured your individual or group rates are based on this.

It’s all perfectly legal - regardless of if we like it or not.

Unless you’re paying cash...

First off, my insurance provider doesn't have detailed information like "How many times per minute my heart beat between 4pm and 5pm last Tuesday". So, you're wrong - they don't "already have this information". Secondly, I personally DO pay for my personal health care with cash, so... yeah. There's that, too. I'd be willing to bet I'm not the only one that thinks the insurance companies will find a way to abuse this information if they can get their hands on it.

 

[drewsit2010]

Was surprised to see my health care provider on this list. I just tried to connect it using the app, and it says "Error! No records found. Click here for more information" which brings me to this message: "No registered support contact information found." It also says at the top "I, Unknown User, …" so something is clearly going wrong. The authorize button is disabled. It connects using the Cerner platform. Does anyone know how to fix this in Cerner? I'm able to view my lab results, messages and other things when I log in on their website.

You will want to reach out to the health care organization and ask for a new invite to the portal. This happens when the migration process didn't catch you. Happens is certain situations. Claiming another invite with the same username and password should fix this.