In anticipation of the launch of the Apple Watch later this month, Cerner has announced it will modify its patient app HealtheLife to run on the device. Currently available for the iPhone, the app will be featured at Cerner’s booth during the HIMSS conference April 12–16 in Chicago and will be available through the Apple Watch app store beginning April 24. The updated iOS 8 HealtheLife app includes tools such as push notification reminders to track health data and a display dashboard for tracked metrics intended to help patients manage their health from the new device.
“Apple Watch is the next evolution connecting consumers and their health team to the clinical community, regardless of physical location,” said Brian Carter, senior director and general manager, personal health, Cerner. “This is just the first step in the evolution of sharing personal health data—to provide physicians with access to actionable data anytime, anywhere, not just what’s collected at the doctor’s office.”
Cerner will conduct initial deployments with clients this month to test the app, which can transmit information such as weight, blood pressure, and blood sugar values directly to the Cerner Millennium electronic health record once patients have given consent. Emory Healthcare, the largest health system in Georgia, and Agnesian HealthCare, a nonprofit integrated health care system in Wisconsin, will be the first health networks to deploy the new technology. Emory will receive patient data through HealthKit. Agnesian patients will receive their own set of devices, including a blood pressure monitor, glucose meter, and scale.
“The status of a person’s health is greatly related to what they’re doing personally on a day-to-day basis. This information is vital to providers so they can focus on personalized patient care and population health management,” Carter said.
