Apple is expanding its move into the health care industry, thanks to a new partnership.
The tech company announced Monday that it will partner with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to make health records available to veterans through the iPhone Health app.
Veterans will soon be able to access medical information from participating institutions directly on their phones. Health data stored on the app will include allergies, conditions, immunizations, lab results, medications, procedures, and vitals.
“We have great admiration for veterans, and we’re proud to bring a solution like Health Records on iPhone to the veteran community,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement.
The tech company’s COO Jeff Williams added that the tool will help patients have “more productive conversations with their physicians” because they will have better access to their medical records in one place.
Apple’s announcement follows plans that Microsoft shared last week to make patient information more accessible to all involved parties, by storing health records on the Azure cloud. Microsoft also said it would make its health bot services available to more health care organizations and patients.
User data stored on Apple’s Health app is encrypted and accessible only to the iPhone user via their passcode, Touch, or Face ID.
“Our goal is to empower people to better understand and improve their health, enabling them to view their medical information from multiple providers in one place easily and securely,” said Apple’s Vice President of Technology, Kevin Lynch.
This is not Apple’s first partnership related to the military.
The company launched a program last December, called the Apple Military Discount, offering a 10% discount on most products to active duty members and veterans of the U.S. Military, National Guard, and Reserve, as well as their immediate family members.
