Healthkit

Introduction

Apple Inc. is foraying into the healthcare sector by introducing a new application (app) “Healthkit” which will be used to manage consumer health data. As the world’s second largest information technology company (by revenue) and the leading vendor of U.S. smartphones, Apple has the potential to impact consumer health behavior through adoption of their healthcare products.

Solution Information

The app is shares data between and among users. Expected to be announced on September 9, 2014 as part of their new iPhone operating system iOS 8, the new Healthkit app is aimed at creating a data repository or dashboard to track health and fitness vitals, emergency contacts, food intake and other bodily failures/successes-these include heart rate, calories burned, blood sugar, cholesterol, sleep, blood type, allergies and other emergency information. The health information for the data is housed in a central and secure location and users have exclusive rights as to which data is to be shared with the app.

Given Apple’s market share leverage and the potential of health and fitness apps to facilitate data sharing of health information (e.g. blood pressure readings, nutrition information) with doctors; healthcare apps like Healthkit may represent a new medium for electronic health record storage and data sharing driven by consumers.

Epic EHR Integration

On October 6, 2014, Oschsner Health System successfully integrated its EHR with the new Apple HealthKit. It is estimated that 53 percent of Americans use and store their medical records within the Epic EHR, and its MyChart application is the most used patient in the United States.Epic’s EHR will access HealthKit data from the MyChart app, not via direct integration with HealthKit platform to avoid potential HIPAA regulatory and privacy issues. With the integration of both system users have more control over their health data and how it is being shared on the go via-mobile device platforms.