Apple Has a Bug to Exterminate from Its HealthKit AppsApple Has a Bug to Exterminate from Its HealthKit Apps

Fanfare for the iOS 8 debut of Apple's HealthKit apps fizzled this week when the company announced a software bug would delay the apps' availability for about two weeks when it would be offered as part of a software update.

Regardless, the iOS 8 operating system debuted September 17.

"We're working quickly to have the bug fixed in a software update and have HealthKit apps available by the end of the month," a company spokesperson said in an email on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

Apple has touted the health-and-fitness tracking software in HealthKit for its potential to communicate patient health data to hospitals and doctors.

After Apple's iCloud suffered its own security breach, doubts were cast regarding the security of the HealthKit health-tracking platform. Apple, however, has banned HealthKit apps from using the iCloud.

After Apple announced the HealthKit delay, several software developers took to Twitter, positing that data management may be causing the problem, according to a report on medcitynews.com. High-profile organizations, including Stanford and Duke universities, are already working with Apple on HealthKit, according to a previous Qmed report.

HealthKit is "already helping top hospitals fight cancer, diabetes," said Cult of Mac recently. Forbes responded that neither Stanford nor Duke have confirmed that a substantial number of patients are involved in HealthKit trials.

The app works by gathering data from multiple sources and pooling them in a central location so healthcare professionals can analyze health metrics. Regulated medical devices such as glucose monitors, heart and respiratory monitors, and other medical devices, would all connect to Apple's platform and constantly stream data that patients can make available to healthcare professionals for monitoring purposes.

Apple removed some iOS 8-enabled health and wellness apps that would connect with HealthKit from its app store, including MyFitnessPal and Carrot Fit, Reuters reported.

Electronic health record companies, including Epic, Cerner and Athenahealth, are working with Apple to develop apps to integrate HealthKit with a number of hospitals across the United States, Reuters reported. In June, Qmed.com reported that Apple announced a similar partnership with the Mayo Clinic.

Apple promises on its website that the information transmitted via HealthKit will be private, and controlled by the end user.

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Nancy Crotti is a contributor to Qmed and MPMN.

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