Apple announces 'HealthKit' platform and new 'Health' app

SAN FRANCISCO — As expected, Apple jumped into the health-information business today, launching both a new health app and a cloud-based health-information platform.

The new app, called simply “Health,” will collect a number of body metrics including blood pressure, heart rate, and stats on diet and exercise.

Impressively, Health will constantly monitor key health metrics (like blood sugar or blood pressure), and if any of them begin to move outside the healthy range, the app will automatically send a notification to the user’s doctor.

The Health app will share all its information with a new cloud platform called “HealthKit.” The new health cloud platform is designed to act as a global repository for all of the user’s health information. It will accept data collected by a variety of third-party devices and apps. For instance, Nike is now working to makes its health and fitness apps integrate with HealthKit.

And Apple didn’t forget to loop in the health care system to participate in the new platform. The company worked with doctors at the Mayo Clinic to devise ways for health care providers to access and add to patient information in HealthKit.

Apple also has been working with a large group of hospitals to figure out how it will make HealthKit data available to hospital information systems.