Apple has partnered with electronic health records vendor Epic Systems to bring its tools to macOS.
Initially, Apple had asked Epic to make a native app for its operating system. However, the EHR vendor is said to be developing a tool that’s easier to use than an app. With the tool, physicians can access their client’s health records on a Mac.
Epic Systems and the Cupertino-based company has had some disagreements in the past. Apple wanted health patients that could access their medical data easily, but then Epic opposed the stance, saying that it will be ‘overly burdensome’ and ‘endanger patient privacy’.
Apple pioneered health record access by developing the Apple Health app. Epic Systems is considered the largest EHR vendor in the US, with a 2021 report showing 250 million patients under its file. The partnership might mean that Epic could be added as a health records provider, but nothing has been announced by either parties yet.
