EHR Vendor MEDITECH Signs onto Apple Health for EHR Data Exchange

EHR vendor MEDITECH announced a new feature that aims to promote patient empowerment through patient data exchange with providers via Apple’s Health app.

The new feature builds on Health Records on iPhone, a digital health solution that forms a direct connection between a healthcare organization and a patient’s Health app on her iPhone.

This connection grants patients portable access to information related to their allergies, conditions, immunizations, lab results, medications, procedures, and vitals. 

Now, as iOS 15 becomes available this fall, the flow of patient data exchange will go both ways; patients at participating organizations will be able to share their personal health information with hospitals and physician practices.

The interoperability solution will allow patients to choose what health information they share and with whom they share it, promoting patient empowerment.

“For too long our industry has worked in silos, and patients have been left out of the decision as to who has access to their health records and when,” Helen Waters, MEDITECH executive vice president, said in a press release. “Patient empowerment is an important element to any successful interoperability strategy.”

Physicians will have access to patient-reported data through embedded launch points within the EHR. To see information a patient has shared, physicians will launch a web-based dashboard from within the EHR without having to sign into a seperate system.

This new feature will allow physicians to get a more complete picture of patient health and wellbeing, allowing for more informed care decisions, the EHR vendor said.

Physicians will also be able to review patient-shared health data from iPhone, Apple Watch, and connected digital health devices to monitor patient health trends over time.

These tools can monitor patient heart rate, blood pressure, sleep, activity levels, and more, allowing physicians to have more substantial conversations with their patients about their health and wellness goals, according to the vendor.

Additionally, physicians will have access to other patient lab information through third-party apps. This may prevent physicians from ordering costly tests that have already been conducted elsewhere, the vendor noted.

The feature’s design supports end-to-end encryption which ensures that data is secure in transit and at rest, the vendor said.

“We are excited to support this new feature in the Apple Health app and work with our customers to provide patients with a convenient means of sharing their health records and other types of health data with their physicians and care teams,” Waters said. “This is a big step forward for healthcare and a significant win for consumer engagement.”

A new KLAS report found that MEDITECH scored a B+ for the combined overall product suite grade, coming in slightly above the market average of a B. The vendor also received a combined overall loyalty score of an A-, surpassing the market average of a B+.

It is seen as an affordable option for EHR integration, receiving the title of Best in KLAS for community hospital EMR for the second year in a row.

Overall, 90 percent of customers reported satisfaction with the vendor’s core Expanse suite, noting that it is updated consistently for increased usability. However, only 10 percent of customers reported significant between-vendor interoperability.

Those who adopted the vendor’s EHR early on have achieved interoperability through opt-in connection to CommonWell, the report authors explained.

“Other customers typically still leverage point-to-point interfaces or HIEs; many Expanse customers are focused on getting the solution up and running before tackling issues like interoperability,” KLAS noted.