In a deal that has gotten a fair bit of attention – and could lead to much bigger things – Epic has agreed to introduce a version of its EHR that should be easier to run on Apple devices. The agreement should please physicians, a large percentage of whom have historically owned Apple products.
By associating itself more closely with Apple, the agreement could potentially raise Epic’s profile with consumers, whom the vendor has not really cultivated in the past.
After all, Apple is known globally as having one of the friendliest interface designs available anywhere and continues to possess one of the world’s strongest consumer brands. If Epic could do anything to siphon off some of its magic it couldn’t hurt.
Apparently, however, striking the deal didn’t come easy. According to a report in BGR.com, originally reported by Axios via 9to5Mac, Apple has tried hard to get Epic interested in creating a native version of its service for Mac and other devices. However, according to various reports, that didn’t fly with Epic. Instead, the deal the two giants struck was for Epic to create a version of its EHR that will run more easily on Apple devices.
The concept is already making incremental progress. According to BGR.com, a source who spoke with Axios said that Epic already has development underway to make it easier to access Epic on the Mac platform.
This deal is clearly a positive development, but not necessarily a huge gain for Apple, which has been making moves to carve out its piece of the healthcare industry for quite a while. While readers might not even remember this, Apple made what could be seen as its first major health data play back in 2014, when it launched its HealthKit framework and API.
HealthKit provides a developer framework that allows providers to gather data from consumers who have installed Apple’s Health app on their iPhone, Apple Watch and third-party apps.
That year, Apple partnered with Epic, in a deal that was intended to make sure that the framework and API could connect with its EHR. It’s not clear what value this has really offered Epic or Apple, but some patients have benefited from easier access on their Apple devices.
That being said, Epic will have to contend with Apple if the company manages to fulfill its emerging data ambitions. When Apple CEO Tim Cook said that his company’s greatest contribution to mankind would be health-related, he wasn’t just posturing. While Apple’s efforts aren’t flashy, the tech giant is in the health data arena for the long term.
If Epic wants to be dismissive of Apple, so be it. But in a world where ownership of the right data – not technology – could eventually be the key to healthcare success, Epic might come back to Apple with hat in hand and ask its leaders for help.
