TORONTO — Apple Canada announced today the Health Records feature within Apple’s Health app is now available for users in Canada to securely view and store their medical records on their iPhone, with their privacy protected at all times.
The first healthcare institutions in Canada to make this feature available to their patients are Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, and Mackenzie Health in Richmond Hill, Ont.
The Health Records feature creates a direct connection between healthcare providers and a patient’s iPhone, allowing users to see a centralized view of their health information, including allergies, conditions, immunizations, lab results, medications, procedures and vitals across multiple institutions, and to be notified when their data is updated, says the Apple press release.
“We designed Health Records on iPhone to empower people to easily view their health records at any time, and we are thrilled to put this feature in the hands of customers in the U.K. and Canada,” said Kevin Lynch, Apple’s vice-president of technology, in the release.
Health Records uses a direct, encrypted connection between the user’s iPhone and the healthcare organization to protect patient privacy at all times, says the release. In addition, all Health Records data is encrypted on the device and protected with the user’s iPhone passcode, Touch ID or Face ID.
Apple says it worked closely with electronic health record (EHR) software developers Epic and Allscripts to enable FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) standards-based integration with the Apple Health app for their Canadian customers.
“As we accelerate our virtual care strategy, we are committed to shaping a health system that people can navigate more effectively. We believe that digital tools like Health Records can contribute to more-informed decision making and improve the healthcare experience,” said Heather McPherson, president and CEO of Women’s College Hospital, in the release.
Apple says more medical facilities will connect to Health Records and offer their patients access to the feature in the coming months.
