It has emerged that Apple quietly acquired Gliimpse earlier this year. Founded in 2013, Gliimpse is a personal health data start-up with a digital platform that enables the collection, personalization, and sharing of images of an individuals health data within the United States. The platform is based on an artificial intelligence engine with capabilities to read and standardize medical records that can subsequently be accessed by patients and their doctors. Gliimpse aims to standardize medical records in varying formats from different physicians.
Apples purchase of Gliimpse will continue to bolster the companys digital health offering. Patent filings suggest that Apple may be creating a health wearable for use by healthcare providers. The acquisition of Gliimpse will add to its digital health portfolio, currently composed of ResearchKit, CareKit, and HealthKit. It is clear that Apples CEO, Tim Cook, believes that health and healthcare are ready for digital disruption.
Gliimpses focus on ensuring the confidentiality of medical records aligns well with Apples focus on maintaining the highest degree of privacy and security within its technology. It is clear that regulations introduced by the public sector must be complemented by private sector efforts to ensure its broad uptake and use. Vitalitys Guidelines for Personalized Health Technology are one example of a private sector effort to overcome emerging ethical, legal, and social concerns associated with health data from personalized health technologies. In the future, ensuring digital privacy and security will only become a more pressing issue, as consumers become increasingly vocal in their demands for transparency.
How could Apples digital technology help you in improving your health? We would love to hear from you! Tweet at Vitality @VitalityUSA or Gillian @gchristie34.
Image source: Mac World
