Medical records firms Athenahealth and Cerner reportedly working on HealthKit integration

Two leading U.S. medical records firms, Athenahealth and Cerner, are said to be working with Apple on the development and deployment of apps integrated with the iOS 8 HealthKit framework.

Representatives from both medical records providers confirmed the partnership with Apple, saying they are working toward integrated HealthKit solutions, Reuters reports.

According to the publication, Athenahealth and Cerner are looking to roll out systems capable of remotely monitoring patients using connected biometric measurement devices tied together with HealthKit. Medical practitioners would then be able to access the information to offer diagnoses and appropriate care.

With HealthKit, Athenahealth is planning to treat patients with chronic conditions, while Cerner described a more holistic approach in which "care teams" would have access to general medical records.

Apple's HealthKit framework allows users, in this case doctors, to gather data from supported sensors and monitors, including those on board an iPhone. Storing pertinent data in a centralized location allows for quick and easy access, something that current digital medical records systems lack.

The HealthKit framework got off to a rocky start when iOS 8 went public on Wednesday, as an unknown bug prompted Apple to disable apps integrating with system. Developers were reportedly asked to resubmit their wares without HealthKit extensions activated. Apple later confirmed the issue and promised a fix by the end of September.