Apple has submitted a patent application that appears to build upon telemedicine capabilities within its HealthKit platform, reports Patently Apple.
The patent suggests the platform would be patient-initiated. Once connected with a physician, the physician's data system could populate known data fields with the patient's information, as the device could be linked with the patient's EMR. Given Apple's upcoming software update that allows users to store their EMRs on their iPhones, this type of connectivity and data access makes sense.
Additionally, the patent would allow for third party clinical decision support applications on the physician's device.
"This kind of system is on the cutting edge of what Apple wants to eventually bring to market in form of Tele-Medicine Sessions between a doctor and patient so that it could save time for both the doctor and patients," reports Patently Apple.
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