Veterans Now Have Access to Health Records on Apple iPhone

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After active duty members leave the military and migrate to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) system, a lack of interoperability makes it difficult to maintain a complete medical record. But today, Apple announced its Health Records feature in the Health app on the iPhone will now be accessible for veterans to access their complete health information.

Select patients have been using the Health Records feature since the summer, and now, veterans who are iOS users and receive their care from the Veterans Health Administration could have a better, more comprehensive view of their health — including information from multiple providers across the care continuum.

“Helping veterans gain a better understanding of their health is our chance to show our gratitude for their service,” said Jeff Williams, MBA, chief operating officer of Apple. “By working with the VA to offer Health Records on iPhone, we hope to help those who served have greater peace of mind that their healthcare is in good hands.”

The announcement comes several months after the VA transferred more than 23 million veterans’ electronic health records (EHRs) to a Cerner data center as part of its EHR Modernization program. The migration is slated to facilitate the secure transfer of health data, so clinicians have access to the full health record of the veteran they are treating.

Patients will have access to what the organizations claimed is, “a single, integrated snapshot of their health profile whenever they want, quickly and privately." The Health Record will include the veteran’s medications, immunizations and lab results.

The largest medical system in the U.S., the VA joins Johns Hopkins University, University of California San Diego and more than 400 other providers, laboratory networks and EHR vendors who support Health Records on iPhone, Apple said.

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