Apple Is Building an iPhone App for Vets' Medical Records

The Veterans Affairs Department is working with Apple to build a tool that gives vets easier access to their medical records.

Under the partnership, Apple would connect the iPhone Health app to the department’s medical record database, allowing vets to view records from both federal and private providers through a single platform, Veterans Affairs announced Monday. It would be the first public record-sharing platform available to the agency.

“Our goal is to empower people to better understand and improve their health, enabling them to view their medical information from multiple providers in one place easily and securely,” Kevin Lynch, vice president of technology at Apple, said in a statement. “We’re excited to bring this feature to veterans across the US.”

By linking with the Veterans Affairs’ health record API, the tool would provide some 9 million vets with access to records in near real-time. The app would automatically update people’s information within 24 hours of them visiting a Veterans Affairs facility, according to the agency.

The agency said it plans to roll out the new tool this summer.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the department’s partnership with Apple in November, though at the time it was unclear how far the effort had progressed.

According to the report, Dr. Bruce Moskowitz was an early sponsor of the project. Moskowitz, who holds no official government role, is one of a trio of informal Trump associates who are reported to influence personnel and procurement decisions within the department.

Prior investigations have found Moskowitz and other members of the so-called “Mar-a-Lago Crowd” worked to derail the agency’s multibillion-dollar health record modernization effort and pushed for the firing of former Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin. House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano, D-Calif., on Friday launched an investigation into the group’s influence on agency operations.