Apple has recently shown a lot of interest in the healthcare sector and making it more obvious are its alleged meetings with healthcare providers to discuss the viability of HealthKit service aiming to build it as a hub for health information of users.
Reuters has reported that the Apple has met Mount Sinai, the Cleveland Clinic and John Hopkins and also medical records providers such as Epic Systems and Allscripts. The company has already revealed HealthKit as a framework for third-party apps to share health information collected by various means making the service a central hub of health related data which can be used for the general advantage of healthcare services.
The apps contributing to HealthKit will be able to store and aggregate data as part of it and the information thus collected will be able to be available in the Health app for users and healthcare professionals.
Apple is also working with Nike and Mayo Clinic with several other companies in the healthcare sector also interested in joining hands with the company.
Apple is also taking steps cautiously to make sure its service and app follow the guidelines, and has approached FDA earlier this year to get advice regarding it, consequentially getting FDA to beta test the service. FDA also issues feedback to Apple to improvise the app.
Users will have the option of sharing their health data with the app and such information stored on the iCloud will be encrypted. HealthKit service and Health app will be part of iOS8, expected to debut this autumn.
