Apple Expands Health App Tools to New Countries

Need to Know

• Health Records, which combine medical records from physicians and hospitals with existing Health app data, is now available in the U.K. and Canada.
• More than 500 institutions in the U.S. already support Health Records.
• The tool uses an encrypted connection between a user’s iPhone and a medical institution, ensuring data privacy.

Analysis

Apple has announced the expansion of a key feature within its Health app: Health Records, which consolidates medical records from physicians and hospitals, is expanding to the U.K. and Canada.

Health Records displays information from doctors and medical institutions, including vaccination history, lab results, medications, and allergies, alongside Health app data such as step count, weight, and sleep analysis. The Health Records app allows users to view all of their medical data (from participating institutions) in one place, rather than logging into multiple medical institutions’ websites to see their records and information.

“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,” Kevin Lynch, Apple’s vice president of technology, said in a statement announcing the Health Records expansion. “We believe people should have access to their health information in the most private and secure way, and we have worked hand in hand with healthcare institutions and organizations to put privacy at the center of the patient experience.”

Currently, Health Records is supported by more than 500 institutions across more than 11,000 care locations in the United States. Health Records, which was launched in 2018, uses an encrypted connection between the user’s iPhone and participating healthcare organizations—and all Health Records information is encrypted on the user’s device—ensuring data privacy.

The Health Records feature is currently available at two medical institutions in the U.K. and three in Canada. Those hospitals are Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in the U.K.; and Women’s College Hospital, St. Joseph’s Healthcare, and Mackenzie Health in Canada.

“As we accelerate our virtual care strategy, we are committed to shaping a health system that people can navigate more effectively,” said Heather McPherson, president and CEO of Women’s College Hospital. “We believe that digital tools like Health Records can contribute to more informed decision making and improve the healthcare experience.” 

The Health Records expansion marks the second significant public health initiative from Apple in recent months. In September, Apple partnered with the Health Promotion Board of Singapore for a historic initiative called LumiHealth. The program, designed for the Apple Watch, encourages Singaporeans to adopt healthy habits through personalized reminders and goal-setting and also reminds users to go for health screenings.

Health Records is now available to Apple users in Canada and the U.K. who have records at the medical institutions listed above.