Four local hospitals have made patient health records integrated with Apple devices to streamline care between the facilities and improve patients' access to their own records.
Records are now available on the 'health records' feature on Apple's Health app, making it easier for patients to view their available medical data whenever they choose.
The four partner hospitals in the region include:
- Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (Barrie)
- Collingwood General and Marine Hospital (Collingwood)
- Georgian Bay General Hospital (Midland)
- Headwaters Health Care Centre (Orangeville)
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The four hospitals share the 'my health care' patient portal. Before this integration, patients had to log in to a separate portal to access records from the other hospitals.
On the Health app, patients will have a convenient view of:
- allergies
- clinical notes
- conditions
- immunizations
- lab results
- medications
- procedures
- vitals
Also, patients will be notified by the app when their data is updated. To download their health records, they can select any of the four hospitals and authenticate with their patient portal username and password.
Downloaded health records data is stored on-device and encrypted with the user’s iPhone or iPad passcode, Touch ID or Face ID.
“We’re continually enhancing our digital tools to make it easier for patients to access and understand their health information,” regional chief information officer Dave Brewin said in a news release. “Health Records offers a convenient and secure way for patients to stay connected to their care. It’s another important step in supporting patients to be more engaged, informed and empowered.”
The Health app already shows activity, heart rate, nutrition and other health data consolidated from iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and HealthKit-enabled third-party apps.
The health records feature was created based on Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR), a standard for transferring electronic medical records.
RVH says it's designed to protect patients’ privacy through utilizing a direct, encrypted connection between the user’s iPhone or iPad and the medical institution.
