For years, we have been so concerned with the privacy of health records that it has almost been inconvenient for people to get their records or transfer them to doctors. Don’t get me wrong, we all appreciate knowing that our health records are secure and private (especially since our health records often indicate exactly what kind of things we’ve been doing and where we’ve been going), but it is a little annoying to try and get any kind of access to our own health let alone give it to another doctor. As Apple is working to streamline access to our own health care, many people wonder what is going to happen to privacy? What kind of repercussions will we face by having Apple health apps?

What apps are you talking about?

Unless you were there when Apple made its announcements last week, you may not realize that the new iPhone 6 and iWatch are heavily focused on health. Not only does the iWatch have the ability to track health data such as your heartbeat, calories, steps, and more, but the iPhone 6 is coming with two apps. One of these is called Health, which is a quick dashboard for all your health information. This includes everything from the medications you take to lab results to blood sugar levels. According to the Wall Street Journal, there will also be a third app called HealthKit that will allow you to connect with your doctor or health insurance to give access to all your health information.

Privacy concerns

One of the concerns that people have is that Apple often sells your information (just like any other mobile carrier) to other companies looking to gather research for advertising. Apple has vaguely addressed the issue by saying they will only allow access to the app from other companies if they have privacy policies and if the information is being used for medical research or improving health and fitness management. Though this leaves a lot of people worried about just how safe the app is, there are also many people who are just as excited to have access to their own health information without having to worry about faxing in forms or going to the doctor’s office to get it.

Apps changing the world

There are many apps available that are helping change the world, and the Apple health apps may very well do that. Legislation is going to have to be put in place, more than likely, to determine how private these apps need to be kept. Meanwhile, there are apps like the Business Texter app that allows you to communicate with your customers through text. Though most similar apps only allow for one way communication from business to consumer, Business Texter allows for two-way communication making it so your customers can even text you and get quick, automated responses with the answers they need. It is apps like this that are really helping to form the future and change the way we communicate and process information.

Source: blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/09/09/as-apple-moves-into-health-apps-what-happens-to-privacy/?mod=ST1