Amaya Toman When Apple unveiled the Health Records section as part of its Apple Health platform as part of its latest update, experts began to wonder about the section's potential impact on the health data industry.
The latest report from the US government's Government Accountability Office (GAO) says that patients and other stakeholders cite excessive fees as the biggest obstacle to accessing their medical records. A number of people have canceled their request for relevant data from doctors after learning the amount of the fee associated with the processing of the request. These were often as high as $500 for a single listing.
Technologies could make it easier for patients to access their health records, according to the report. "Technology is making access to health records and other information much easier and less expensive," the report says, adding that portals that allow patients to access data electronically offer a number of benefits, even though they may not always contain all the necessary information.
Apple thus has enormous potential in this direction. The Apple Health platform is increasingly seen in the healthcare industry as a welcome alternative to established practices, and could radically change the existing "business model" of providing health data. For patients overseas, Apple Health allows them to securely store their health data, as well as retrieve relevant data from various institutions. This allows users to easily store and manage data related to their allergies, lab results, medication or vital signs.
"Our goal is to help users live better. We've worked closely with the relevant community to create the ability to easily and securely track health data right on the iPhone," says Apple's Jeff Williams in an official press release. "By encouraging users to monitor their health, we would like to help them lead a healthier life," he adds.
So far, Apple has partnered with a total of 32 entities in the health sector, such as Cedars-Sinai, Johns Hopkins Medicine or UC Sand Diego Health, which will give patients better access to their health records through the platform. In the future, Apple's cooperation with other healthcare entities should expand even more, but in the Czech Republic it is still wishful thinking.
Source: iDropNews
