How to Import Your Health Records onto Your iPhone

Mobile phones are not only essential for work and communication, they're quickly becoming an integral asset to our health. Your iPhone can store valuable data about fitness, nutrition, heart health, and so much more. And since iOS 11.3, your iPhone can even import a list of allergies, medications, immunizations, hospital visits, and other health information from your doctor or hospital.

If you're someone who has health records with multiple hospitals and clinics, or someone who needs to have quick access to your important health data, you should definitely give this feature a try. As long as your iPhone is running iOS 11.3 or higher, you can follow the instructions below to import any and all health records you may have, assuming your healthcare provider is one of the participating organizations.

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Step 1: Open Up 'Health Records' in Health

To begin, open up the Health app on your iPhone. If you open up to "Today," tap the "Health Data" tab at the bottom of the display. Next, tap on "Health Records" from the list, then tap "Get Started" to do just that.

Step 2: Choose Your Healthcare Provider(s)

The next page allows you to locate your hospitals and clinics. Some of these you may have digital access to using the MyChart portal, Cerner Health, or another login option, while others may not have any patient-facing database for personal health records aside from support for the Health app.

When prompted, you can approve or deny Health using your current location. If you tap "Allow," the app will show you providers in your area. Feel free to tap "Don't Allow" if you don't want to share your location, as you can always search for other establishments manually by name, network, or location.

At its inception, only a small pool of medical centers was participating, but since iOS 12 has come out, the list has grown to over 75 locations. These are the places available right now:

Use the search to locate your healthcare provider or select yours from the list provided. Doing so will give you a link to your healthcare provider's website, where you can sign in as you typically would to the patient portal. If you don't have any login credentials for the healthcare portal, contact the hospital or clinic to see about getting online access to your health records for Apple Health use.

And if you're worried about security, Apple specifically states:

This connection is directly between your iOS device and the healthcare provider's systems (including other connected systems that the healthcare provider may use; e.g. electronic medical records services). Any health information you receive in connection with this feature will remain encrypted while stored on your device.

— Apple

Step 3: View Your Medical Records

Once you sign in, your health information will transfer to the Health app in an organized, easy-to-view manner. You can select specific queries like allergies, immunizations, and medications from this Health Records list, or you can view all of your records at once. In typical Apple fashion, the records are neatly color-coded and labeled, which makes it easy to find the stats you're looking for. Tap each to access more information.

Of course, you can add more than one provider's information at a time. Just repeat the process for all hospitals and clinics you have health records with, as long as they are participating in the program. All of your connected providers will appear at the bottom of the "Health Records" page under Sources.

This article was produced during Gadget Hacks' annual Health & Fitness special coverage. Read all of the Health & Fitness series.

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Cover image by Jake Peterson/Gadget Hacks; Screenshots by Justin Meyers/Gadget Hacks