Apple envisions its HealthKit data tracking platform will one day serve as a prime diagnostic option that will provide seamless data interoperability among disparate provider systems and make data analysis fast, easy and accurate.
Those goals are current hurdles in mobile healthcare technology innovation, notes a Bloomberg report, which highlights how Apple is focused on developing smarter electronic health record apps, as well as apps for Watch that will go well beyond tracking heart rate.
Apple boosted its mHealth technology strategy with the recent acquisition of Gliimpse, which built an EHR software tool for collecting disparate data formats, the article notes. Its HealthKit debuted in mid-2014, with a goal of improving communication between doctors and patients while giving consumers greater control of health activities and decisions.
HealthKit’s arrival spurred Google to announce it was developing a health platform called Google Fit that collected data from fitness-tracking devices and health-related apps. By the start of 2015, 14 U.S. hospitals were piloting HealthKit to track patient care and reduce operating costs.
Bloomberg notes there is no clear timeline on Apple’s enhancements for HealthKit.