Veterans will soon have access to their medical data via an iPhone app

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will provide veterans who receive medical care through VA with access to their personal medical information by using Apple’s Health Records on iPhone feature.

Veterans will be able to view information including allergies, lab results, medications, procedures and vitals via the Health app on their iPhone. The iPhone app also merges information from multiple providers, enabling veterans to see their medical data from hospitals and clinics outside the VA system.

Veterans Health Application Programming Interface (Veterans Health API) expands the capabilities of VA Blue Button. VA Blue Button is a feature of My HealtheVet, which gave veterans the ability to download their VA health records online. By using VA’s Health API and Apple’s Health app veterans are able to securely access their medical data and records. Health data will automatically be updated within 24 hours of a visit to a VA facility via Apple’s Health app on their phones.

“Our Health API represents the next stage in the evolution of VA’s patient data access capability,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “By building upon the Veterans Health API, we’re raising the bar in collaborating with private sector organizations to create and deploy innovative digital products for veterans. Veterans should be able to access their health data at any time, and I’m proud of how far we’ve come to accomplishing this.”

Veterans with Apple iPhones will be able to access the app on their device this summer.

The push to make medical data more accessible to veterans is part of VA’s initiative to modernize health information technology and further VA’s health record modernization program. Since the launch of the program managing VA’s API platform, the department has implemented a portal for developers, as well as API’s for Benefits Intake, Facilities, and Veterans Health.