15 ms·

Healthkit

267 points by vidyesh 12y ago

aquadrop 12y ago
Apple could provide push for others to follow. This can be very big change in the way medical system works.
sgarman 12y ago
I interested in how wearable companies use this. If they give up their data to Apple that removes a large barrier for users to adopt a different wearable company(or apples own product). On the other hand users might demand their current wearable product work with the health app.
- neohaven 12y ago
  I would be more inclined to use a product that interacts with it cleanly for specifically that reason. It just means that the quality of the hardware and software needs to be the differentiator, instead of it just being "Whoops, you're stuck in this silo now." It just seems better to me, even for the market itself.
  - VLM 12y ago
    Oh you're still going to be stuck in a silo, it'll just be an Apple branded silo instead of a Runkeeper branded silo. Switch to Android? Hope you aren't keeping your insulin / blood sugar records in there.
    - dawson 12y ago
      There's nothing stopping you, or the developer of your chosen application exporting/downloading/synchronising the information from HealthKit's APIs.
- arrrg 12y ago
  Many health companies I have looked at have been quite liberal with their data (in the sense of allowing other apps to access it, not necessarily giving you direct access to it, e.g. the Fitbit app can access my Withings scale data despite Fitbit also selling a scale). Maybe that’s just the effect of a diverse market with no clear leaders and a natural benefit of that competition. I hope that will continue and I hope that integrating with Health Kit will be easy and straightforward. I really like that Apple hasn’t stepped in to offer some definitive hardware solution. I like this diverse market and I don’t necessarily think Apple should try that on their own. They seem quite intent on letting the market figure that out and letting others integrate nicely. I also hope that Apple keeps steady with that, even if they start selling their own wearables (though I think that’s less likely now). I mean, I assume this will be able to integrate with dedicated step counters, so the fact that newer iPhones have their own step counter built in didn’t lead Apple to prevent others from integrating – which is a somewhat promising sign.
exceptione 12y ago
A user’s health information is stored in a centralized and secure location and the user decides which data should be shared with your app. Well, that 'centralized location' (accessable by Apple) would require my trust a bit too much.
- k-mcgrady 12y ago
  I was under the impression the data was stored locally and not with Apple. I thought the 'centralised' place they were referring to was the Health app.
  - exceptione 12y ago
    Centralized would then mean local, and that's almost never the case as far as I have seen such service advertisings.
    - rimantas 12y ago
      Yes local, meaning on your device, centralised, meaning each app has access to some central repository instead of havint its own.
  - erichurkman 12y ago
    On the other side of the fence, users with extensive histories of health data (say, someone with high blood pressure with a year of hourly BP history from a wearable device) almost certainly don't want to lose their medically critical health data if their phone happens to take a bath. Backups are important, too.
- Numberwang 12y ago
  Which in practice means all apps will ask for all info and we will blindly say yes to everything.
  - sentenza 12y ago
    Heh. That app will want to access your health records in order to determine whether or not you are at risk of epilepsy, so it can adjust its flashy graphics. Then, of course, they'll transmit the results of your last HIV test to every advertisement network on the planet. The funny thing is that here in Germany, where consumers are heavily protected, people are sceptical. But in the US of A, where a piece of information about your health status can make you uninsurable, people are rather enthusiastic. I'm not even entirely sure which approach will be more beneficial in the mid-term future. But for now I'll stick with my boring German ways.
kyro 12y ago
This focus on health from Apple is a big move. It's a signal that, for now, the digital health/QS space is here to stay. They're taking out a large chunk of general wellness apps. Apps like Fitbit, LoseIt, etc, will be rendered significantly less useful with Apple now controlling the experience for the majority of commonly captured health data (calories, sleep, nutrition, etc). Wearable and other health companies will have to find a way to differentiate their app offerings by including features well outside the scope of Health and HealthKit (think Strava and RunKeeper). Apple is also going after the PHR space, specifically Microsoft's HealthVault. The PHR space has historically struggled to catch on (e.g. Google Health), but I suspect both Google and Microsoft's products were ahead of their time. Although I have concerns about whether PHRs are actually useful, Apple with its marketshare might finally make them mainstream. I can see them extending their new Family Sharing features to family PHR management. However, I'm struggling to think of how Apple may be able to crack the barriers to data access on the provider/EHR side, if they aim to.
- chintan 12y ago
  Epic/MyChart might cover the EHR side of things "Epic Systems has developed an integration with HealthKit, suggesting a framework for getting information collected via HealthKit into patients’ MyChart app. " Source: http://mobihealthnews.com/33728/apple-reveals-tracking-app-healthkit-and-partners-with-mayo-clinic-epic/ http://mobihealthnews.com/33728/apple-reveals-tracking-app-h...
  - markolschesky 12y ago
    I imagine that it's this (requires OpenID login): http://open.epic.com/Clinical/PatientTrackingData http://open.epic.com/Clinical/PatientTrackingData
- smackfu 12y ago
  LoseIt already has many of the features that HealthKit promises. Integration with weight scales, fitness apps, etc.
  - 12y ago
seanhandley 12y ago
There goes your health insurance premiums.
- markolschesky 12y ago
  In the United States, insurers can no longer discriminate against members through the ACA in most ways (like healthkit): (a) IN GENERAL.—A group health plan and a health insurance issuer offering group or individual health insurance coverage may not establish rules for eligibility (including continued eligibility) of any individual to enroll under the terms of the plan or coverage based on any of the following health status-related factors in relation to the individual or a dependent of the individual: (1) Health status. (2) Medical condition (including both physical and mental illnesses). (3) Claims experience. (4) Receipt of health care. (5) Medical history. (6) Genetic information. (7) Evidence of insurability (including conditions arising out of acts of domestic violence). (8) Disability. (9) Any other health status-related factor determined appropriate by the Secretary.
  - gergles 12y ago
    They can still change the premium.
  - atmosx 12y ago
    If they do (theoretically speaking) can you prove it?
dawson 12y ago
Well, I'm excited! Interoperability, standards, security, governance, (PAS) integration, health professionals mindset change are all required too – however, if EHR/EMR/PHR [clinical/enterprise] innovation is ever going to happen, it's going to be driven by consumers. I'm sure all the integration/interface engine vendors will be working over time for the next few months. I especially liked this line :P ... “How are you?” now has a really accurate answer http://www.apple.com/ios/ios8/health/ http://www.apple.com/ios/ios8/health/
general_failure 12y ago
This sort of explains Samsung's recent simband release. Samsung just wanted to throw something out of the door before apple.
shas3 12y ago
Apple probably has to work on improving the accuracy of activity monitoring on its devices. This paper from ACM Ubicomp 2013 concludes (as of ~2012), that iPhone (Moves App)performed worse than Nike+Fuelband, Nike+Sportsband, and Fitbit in tracking step-recording, with Fitbit performing the best. https://www-old.comp.nus.edu.sg/~brown/pdf/pdm_workshop2013.pdf https://www-old.comp.nus.edu.sg/~brown/pdf/pdm_workshop2013....
- orasis 12y ago
  The iPhone 5s now has dedicated movement tracking hardware with the M7 chip.
jnorthrop 12y ago
> A user’s health information is stored in a centralized and secure location and the user decides which data should be shared with your app. I'm glad the information is stored securely and the user has control over what is shared with targeted apps, but it says nothing about what is shared with Apple. Companies need to be clear about these things right up front.
- Brakenshire 12y ago
  In my opinion, this sort of data needs more than "we double promise we'll store it securely".
  - codyb 12y ago
    It's starting to remind me of the book 'The Circle" by Dave Eggers[1]. Where a company ("The Cirlce") eventually, essentially, takes over the control of all information in the world. It wasn't my favorite book, although I very much respected my Mom for getting it for me. It's an easy read. And it makes you realize what could potentially happen I suppose. It's like 1984 written in 2010. And the ending...well I won't spoil it. Probably worth the read for the reminder. And it is very engaging. A lot of my complaints are almost metaphysical in nature. In that it is very hard to describe definitively what my issue was. [1] http://www.amazon.com/The-Circle-Dave-Eggers/dp/0385351399 http://www.amazon.com/The-Circle-Dave-Eggers/dp/0385351399
  - cdcarter 12y ago
    Well, at least in the US there are laws about health information storage, as well as compliance standards and companies who are VERY good at making sure you are in compliance. Obviously there are failures of the system, but nobody in the field thinks of it as anything less than very serious business.
- smsm42 12y ago
  I would assume everything is, just on general principle, unless Apple explicitly promised it is not, in writing in language that does not allow any ambiguity. "Centralized" means "not locally", and "secure" only means "it's not available publicly on the Internet, we promise", so I see no reason to assume Apple (and anybody who comes to Apple with a warrant or hacks them) has no access to it.
orasis 12y ago
Does anyone have a link to the actual API docs?
- daigoba66 12y ago
  I would love to see what this is actually capable of. I suspect, at least for now, it's probably limited to not-so-useful counters like weight, height, age, calories, etc. I'd love to this turn into a full fledge PHR that people actually want to use, but I'm leary of that happening (see passbook).
msuprovici 12y ago
If Apple successfully handles EHR integrations & HIPPA, it will create a significant opportunity for developers to improve our healthcare system.
- dataisfun 12y ago
  haha.
- XorNot 12y ago
  Why would Apple bother with this? This is functionally them entering the "fitbit" space. It's showing people neat graphs, which they'll rapidly get bored with because at the end of the day once you're even slightly away from reinforcing the feedback loop of "how much of a good person am I by proxy of my exercise/weight/calories?" no one cares and people specifically do not want to know. Everything else about health is messy, full of legacy systems and liability, and completely facing away from the consumer.
  - msuprovici 12y ago
    I agree with you. Most people don't care about neat graphs and data. Apparently, Apple is already integrating with Epic, one of the largest EHR systems out there. Preventive health is becoming a large opportunity and I think Apple is aspiring to become the main platform here.
wnevets 12y ago
do we really need separate post for each of these?
hakcermani 12y ago
The healthStore is probably like the contacts database on the phone. Apps will need the user permission to access (read/write) to the store. Like contacts Apple might make the only sync option for the healthstore via iCloud. It is also likely that the structured data options on the healthstore will not satisfy all class of apps, except to what is supported by healthkit.
ejain 12y ago
It seems near impossible to create a service in this space that is both general purpose and also usable enough to get the kind of adoption that a company the size of Apple needs to justify its involvement. So I'm really eager to see what Apple has come up with, and how it's going to be different from Microsoft HealthVault, Google Health, RunKeeper's HealthGraph, and Samsung's SAMI.
marincounty 12y ago
Aside for diabetics, I have found most people don't want or need to monitor their vital signs. Plus, it's a reminder of how unhealthy it is to sit in font of a electronic devise. Now, if the technology got great and could monitor lipid levels I might be interested. On the other hand, when my time is up I don't want Apple emailing me a Advanced Directive? "Good morning--did you sign your organ donor card? You have a 79% percent chance of a spinning wheel today, or window speak, you might have a blue screen today? Please, download our Pallitive care song app?" Would Jobs want to be reminded daily of his own mortality? No-- , I really miss that man. Lately, I have been thinking of making my MBP a Linux machine; That thought never would have entrpered my head If Jobs' was still around.
- Infinitesimus 12y ago
  I don't think it is worth much to speculate about what an individual would have done. We can't predict the future or human actions that well. There are several internal forces at work with Apple that we do not know much of. It's not like Jobs never made bad decisions...
mercantiles 12y ago
I'm surprised by how minimal this is.
joshdance 12y ago
This is another step in the long long road to everyone being able to easily track their health electronically. This will not be the break-thru, but it will help.

267 points by vidyesh 12y ago

Apple could provide push for others to follow. This can be very big change in the way medical system works.

I interested in how wearable companies use this. If they give up their data to Apple that removes a large barrier for users to adopt a different wearable company(or apples own product). On the other hand users might demand their current wearable product work with the health app.

neohaven 12y ago
I would be more inclined to use a product that interacts with it cleanly for specifically that reason. It just means that the quality of the hardware and software needs to be the differentiator, instead of it just being "Whoops, you're stuck in this silo now." It just seems better to me, even for the market itself.
- VLM 12y ago
  Oh you're still going to be stuck in a silo, it'll just be an Apple branded silo instead of a Runkeeper branded silo. Switch to Android? Hope you aren't keeping your insulin / blood sugar records in there.
  - dawson 12y ago
    There's nothing stopping you, or the developer of your chosen application exporting/downloading/synchronising the information from HealthKit's APIs.
arrrg 12y ago
Many health companies I have looked at have been quite liberal with their data (in the sense of allowing other apps to access it, not necessarily giving you direct access to it, e.g. the Fitbit app can access my Withings scale data despite Fitbit also selling a scale). Maybe that’s just the effect of a diverse market with no clear leaders and a natural benefit of that competition. I hope that will continue and I hope that integrating with Health Kit will be easy and straightforward. I really like that Apple hasn’t stepped in to offer some definitive hardware solution. I like this diverse market and I don’t necessarily think Apple should try that on their own. They seem quite intent on letting the market figure that out and letting others integrate nicely. I also hope that Apple keeps steady with that, even if they start selling their own wearables (though I think that’s less likely now). I mean, I assume this will be able to integrate with dedicated step counters, so the fact that newer iPhones have their own step counter built in didn’t lead Apple to prevent others from integrating – which is a somewhat promising sign.

exceptione 12y ago

A user’s health information is stored in a centralized and secure location and the user decides which data should be shared with your app. Well, that 'centralized location' (accessable by Apple) would require my trust a bit too much.

k-mcgrady 12y ago
I was under the impression the data was stored locally and not with Apple. I thought the 'centralised' place they were referring to was the Health app.
- exceptione 12y ago
  Centralized would then mean local, and that's almost never the case as far as I have seen such service advertisings.
  - rimantas 12y ago
    Yes local, meaning on your device, centralised, meaning each app has access to some central repository instead of havint its own.
- erichurkman 12y ago
  On the other side of the fence, users with extensive histories of health data (say, someone with high blood pressure with a year of hourly BP history from a wearable device) almost certainly don't want to lose their medically critical health data if their phone happens to take a bath. Backups are important, too.
Numberwang 12y ago
Which in practice means all apps will ask for all info and we will blindly say yes to everything.
- sentenza 12y ago
  Heh. That app will want to access your health records in order to determine whether or not you are at risk of epilepsy, so it can adjust its flashy graphics. Then, of course, they'll transmit the results of your last HIV test to every advertisement network on the planet. The funny thing is that here in Germany, where consumers are heavily protected, people are sceptical. But in the US of A, where a piece of information about your health status can make you uninsurable, people are rather enthusiastic. I'm not even entirely sure which approach will be more beneficial in the mid-term future. But for now I'll stick with my boring German ways.

kyro 12y ago

This focus on health from Apple is a big move. It's a signal that, for now, the digital health/QS space is here to stay. They're taking out a large chunk of general wellness apps. Apps like Fitbit, LoseIt, etc, will be rendered significantly less useful with Apple now controlling the experience for the majority of commonly captured health data (calories, sleep, nutrition, etc). Wearable and other health companies will have to find a way to differentiate their app offerings by including features well outside the scope of Health and HealthKit (think Strava and RunKeeper). Apple is also going after the PHR space, specifically Microsoft's HealthVault. The PHR space has historically struggled to catch on (e.g. Google Health), but I suspect both Google and Microsoft's products were ahead of their time. Although I have concerns about whether PHRs are actually useful, Apple with its marketshare might finally make them mainstream. I can see them extending their new Family Sharing features to family PHR management. However, I'm struggling to think of how Apple may be able to crack the barriers to data access on the provider/EHR side, if they aim to.

chintan 12y ago
Epic/MyChart might cover the EHR side of things "Epic Systems has developed an integration with HealthKit, suggesting a framework for getting information collected via HealthKit into patients’ MyChart app. " Source: http://mobihealthnews.com/33728/apple-reveals-tracking-app-healthkit-and-partners-with-mayo-clinic-epic/ http://mobihealthnews.com/33728/apple-reveals-tracking-app-h...
- markolschesky 12y ago
  I imagine that it's this (requires OpenID login): http://open.epic.com/Clinical/PatientTrackingData http://open.epic.com/Clinical/PatientTrackingData
smackfu 12y ago
LoseIt already has many of the features that HealthKit promises. Integration with weight scales, fitness apps, etc.
- 12y ago

seanhandley 12y ago

There goes your health insurance premiums.

markolschesky 12y ago
In the United States, insurers can no longer discriminate against members through the ACA in most ways (like healthkit): (a) IN GENERAL.—A group health plan and a health insurance issuer offering group or individual health insurance coverage may not establish rules for eligibility (including continued eligibility) of any individual to enroll under the terms of the plan or coverage based on any of the following health status-related factors in relation to the individual or a dependent of the individual: (1) Health status. (2) Medical condition (including both physical and mental illnesses). (3) Claims experience. (4) Receipt of health care. (5) Medical history. (6) Genetic information. (7) Evidence of insurability (including conditions arising out of acts of domestic violence). (8) Disability. (9) Any other health status-related factor determined appropriate by the Secretary.
- gergles 12y ago
  They can still change the premium.
- atmosx 12y ago
  If they do (theoretically speaking) can you prove it?

dawson 12y ago

Well, I'm excited! Interoperability, standards, security, governance, (PAS) integration, health professionals mindset change are all required too – however, if EHR/EMR/PHR [clinical/enterprise] innovation is ever going to happen, it's going to be driven by consumers. I'm sure all the integration/interface engine vendors will be working over time for the next few months. I especially liked this line :P ... “How are you?” now has a really accurate answer http://www.apple.com/ios/ios8/health/ http://www.apple.com/ios/ios8/health/

general_failure 12y ago

This sort of explains Samsung's recent simband release. Samsung just wanted to throw something out of the door before apple.

shas3 12y ago

Apple probably has to work on improving the accuracy of activity monitoring on its devices. This paper from ACM Ubicomp 2013 concludes (as of ~2012), that iPhone (Moves App)performed worse than Nike+Fuelband, Nike+Sportsband, and Fitbit in tracking step-recording, with Fitbit performing the best. https://www-old.comp.nus.edu.sg/~brown/pdf/pdm_workshop2013.pdf https://www-old.comp.nus.edu.sg/~brown/pdf/pdm_workshop2013....

orasis 12y ago
The iPhone 5s now has dedicated movement tracking hardware with the M7 chip.

jnorthrop 12y ago

> A user’s health information is stored in a centralized and secure location and the user decides which data should be shared with your app. I'm glad the information is stored securely and the user has control over what is shared with targeted apps, but it says nothing about what is shared with Apple. Companies need to be clear about these things right up front.

Brakenshire 12y ago
In my opinion, this sort of data needs more than "we double promise we'll store it securely".
- codyb 12y ago
  It's starting to remind me of the book 'The Circle" by Dave Eggers[1]. Where a company ("The Cirlce") eventually, essentially, takes over the control of all information in the world. It wasn't my favorite book, although I very much respected my Mom for getting it for me. It's an easy read. And it makes you realize what could potentially happen I suppose. It's like 1984 written in 2010. And the ending...well I won't spoil it. Probably worth the read for the reminder. And it is very engaging. A lot of my complaints are almost metaphysical in nature. In that it is very hard to describe definitively what my issue was. [1] http://www.amazon.com/The-Circle-Dave-Eggers/dp/0385351399 http://www.amazon.com/The-Circle-Dave-Eggers/dp/0385351399
- cdcarter 12y ago
  Well, at least in the US there are laws about health information storage, as well as compliance standards and companies who are VERY good at making sure you are in compliance. Obviously there are failures of the system, but nobody in the field thinks of it as anything less than very serious business.
smsm42 12y ago
I would assume everything is, just on general principle, unless Apple explicitly promised it is not, in writing in language that does not allow any ambiguity. "Centralized" means "not locally", and "secure" only means "it's not available publicly on the Internet, we promise", so I see no reason to assume Apple (and anybody who comes to Apple with a warrant or hacks them) has no access to it.

orasis 12y ago

Does anyone have a link to the actual API docs?

daigoba66 12y ago
I would love to see what this is actually capable of. I suspect, at least for now, it's probably limited to not-so-useful counters like weight, height, age, calories, etc. I'd love to this turn into a full fledge PHR that people actually want to use, but I'm leary of that happening (see passbook).

msuprovici 12y ago

If Apple successfully handles EHR integrations & HIPPA, it will create a significant opportunity for developers to improve our healthcare system.

dataisfun 12y ago
haha.
XorNot 12y ago
Why would Apple bother with this? This is functionally them entering the "fitbit" space. It's showing people neat graphs, which they'll rapidly get bored with because at the end of the day once you're even slightly away from reinforcing the feedback loop of "how much of a good person am I by proxy of my exercise/weight/calories?" no one cares and people specifically do not want to know. Everything else about health is messy, full of legacy systems and liability, and completely facing away from the consumer.
- msuprovici 12y ago
  I agree with you. Most people don't care about neat graphs and data. Apparently, Apple is already integrating with Epic, one of the largest EHR systems out there. Preventive health is becoming a large opportunity and I think Apple is aspiring to become the main platform here.

wnevets 12y ago

do we really need separate post for each of these?

hakcermani 12y ago

The healthStore is probably like the contacts database on the phone. Apps will need the user permission to access (read/write) to the store. Like contacts Apple might make the only sync option for the healthstore via iCloud. It is also likely that the structured data options on the healthstore will not satisfy all class of apps, except to what is supported by healthkit.

ejain 12y ago

It seems near impossible to create a service in this space that is both general purpose and also usable enough to get the kind of adoption that a company the size of Apple needs to justify its involvement. So I'm really eager to see what Apple has come up with, and how it's going to be different from Microsoft HealthVault, Google Health, RunKeeper's HealthGraph, and Samsung's SAMI.

marincounty 12y ago

Aside for diabetics, I have found most people don't want or need to monitor their vital signs. Plus, it's a reminder of how unhealthy it is to sit in font of a electronic devise. Now, if the technology got great and could monitor lipid levels I might be interested. On the other hand, when my time is up I don't want Apple emailing me a Advanced Directive? "Good morning--did you sign your organ donor card? You have a 79% percent chance of a spinning wheel today, or window speak, you might have a blue screen today? Please, download our Pallitive care song app?" Would Jobs want to be reminded daily of his own mortality? No-- , I really miss that man. Lately, I have been thinking of making my MBP a Linux machine; That thought never would have entrpered my head If Jobs' was still around.

Infinitesimus 12y ago
I don't think it is worth much to speculate about what an individual would have done. We can't predict the future or human actions that well. There are several internal forces at work with Apple that we do not know much of. It's not like Jobs never made bad decisions...

mercantiles 12y ago

I'm surprised by how minimal this is.

joshdance 12y ago

This is another step in the long long road to everyone being able to easily track their health electronically. This will not be the break-thru, but it will help.