Apple's Deal With the VA Is a Big Step Toward Giving Consumers Control Over Their Own Health Information

Apple and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have partnered to make veterans' health records accessible via iPhones, reports CNBC News . "By bringing Health Records on iPhone to VA beneficiaries, we hope veterans will experience improved healthcare that will enhance their lives," says Apple COO Jeff Williams. The first beneficiaries will be early adopters of Apple's health records software, through which they can view their data from participating health systems, as well as veterans and Medicare enrollees. According to industry experts, Apple is leveraging an overarching push to force medical records companies and insurers to provide wider access to health information, which is backed by the federal government and different academic groups. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also has published new rules designed to prevent information blocking. Kenneth Mandl at Boston Children's Hospital says these rules promote a "universal approach for connecting apps to health systems, the same way you might connect an app to your smartphone."