Apple and the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced that veterans across the nation and surrounding territories now have access to the Health Records feature in the Health app on iPhone. The VA gradually launched Health Records to select patients this summer, and now veterans who are iOS users and receive their care through the Veterans Health Administration can see a fuller, more comprehensive picture of their health that includes information from multiple providers.
The Health Records feature of the Health app on iPhone isn’t new, but it is interesting and still gaining traction. For instance, there are a few specialty clinics in my city that offer access, but none of the major healthcare providers do. Go an hour northeast to Omaha and some of the larger healthcare providers there have embraced Health Records integration.
Partnering with the VA is a big leap in bringing this feature to more people, and hopefully this move will get even more providers moving toward offering this as an option to their patients.
Getting it set up looks to be very straightforward, too.
By signing into their providers’ patient portals in the Health app, veterans can see all of their health records in one place, including medications, immunizations, lab results and more. The Health app continually updates these records giving VA patients access to a single, integrated snapshot of their health profile whenever they want, quickly and privately.