Diagnosis Data: Getting The IP Right On Healthcare Apps

Apple’s recent announcement that it will be opening its Health Records application programming interface (API) will be big news for healthcare app developers in the US. The data covers patients at more than 500 hospitals and clinics and it’s hoped that, by making the data available, a new suit of apps and products will be developed focused on helping patients better manage medications, care plans and long term conditions.

Digital health is a growing field and there is no doubt that better and more sophisticated apps, underpinned by better and more sophisticated data, have the potential to make a real difference to people’s health outcomes. Alongside technical challenges, developing successful apps also poses significant business challenges such as how to monetise the app and crucially, how to secure the time and money invested in developing it with robust intellectual property (IP).