The Mayo Clinic has launched support for the Apple Health Records feature on iPhone, allowing patients to easily add medical data to the Health app.
Credit: Mayo Clinic
Apple's Health Records service allows patients to add and view all of their health data in a single spot on an iPhone. Starting Tuesday, Mayo Clinic patients with a Patient Online Services account will be able to take advantage of the feature by logging in with their username and password.
In addition to health records from care providers, the Health app also aggregates health and nutrition data from sources like an Apple Watch. Use of the feature is optional, and doesn't change anything about a patient's online services account.
All downloaded data is transported between a provider and a user's device via an encrypted connection and is also stored securely on a device.
Mayo Clinic says it is now among the more than 700 healthcare providers and 12,000 care locations that offer support for Apple Health Records in the U.S., Canada, and the UK.
"There are more ways than ever for patients to be actively engaged in their health care, and smartphone apps can be helpful for accessing records and tracking daily fitness and diet. We want patients who are interested in these apps to be able to use them securely and enhance their health care at Mayo Clinic," said Steve Ommen, M.D., director of experience products at Mayo Clinic's Center for Digital Health.
Apple first announced the Health Records API in 2018, allowing developers to integrate Apple health features into their apps. Initially a U.S.-exclusive feature, Apple brought Health Records to the UK and Canada in October 2020.
At its WWDC 21 event earlier in June, Apple bolstered its health ecosystem with new features, including the ability to securely share health, fitness, and other metrics with a care provider.
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