O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: hospitals

  • COVID-19 testing locations begin to surface in Apple Maps search features

    Here’s hoping that this helps.

    Apple Maps has begun showing COVID-19 testing locations for users within the United States as part of a series of back end updates to the Apple Maps application.

    Users opening up Maps and tapping the search bar will notice an option for COVID-19 testing. Tapping on this will show you all of the COVID-19 testing locations in your area, as well as each business’ website if desired.

    Earlier this month Apple also changed the way businesses are displayed within this same search bar. Hospitals, pharmacies, and restaurant delivery options are prominently featured at the top of the list.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via The Mac Observer

  • Apple Maps begin rolling out Coronavirus updates, with default searches highlighting nearby hospitals and restaurants with food delivery

    This could definitely come in handy, especially during the Coronavirus quarantine.

    Apple has altered how Apple Maps displays nearby search results during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with the app now focusing on providing quicker access to food deliveries, pharmacies, and grocery locations close to the user. 

    The change, which was discovered by German web site iPhone-Ticker.de, noted that as of Tuesday, the list, which generally includes restaurants, fast food, rapid transit, cafes, and supermarkets, among other frequently-needed items, had changed. 

    Tapping the search box now prioritizes default searches for pharmacies, hospitals, and urgent care sites near the top of the list. In some classes, the app will also display restaurants that offer food delivery as higher than other restaurants on the list.

    This could definitely come in handy, especially for those under official orders to stay at home, not go outside, and practice social distancing. In many areas affected by the rules, food deliveries are preferred over restaurants, with the latter likely to be delivery-only or shut down entirely. 

    The change is slowly rolling out to users around the world, and not everyone is seeing the altered list at this time. 

    If you’ve seen this change on your end, please let us know about your experience in the comments.

    Via AppleInsider and iPhone-Ticker.de

  • Apple looking to make HealthKit an industry standard for sharing of medical data

    Apple wants to build a comprehensive database for every iPhone user that can be accessed for doctors visits, lab results, medications, and more.

    According to CNBC, Apple is said to have a “secretive team” within its health unit that has been communicating with developers, hospitals, and other industry groups about storing clinical data on the iPhone. With all of their medical data at their fingertips, iPhone users would have a better overall picture of their health, which could also be readily shared with doctors.

    The aforementioned team has been hiring developers familiar with the protocols surrounding the transfer of electronic health records as well as negotiating with assorted health IT industry groups. One group that’s apparently been contacted, the “Argonaut Project”, promotes the adoption of open standards for health information, and “The Carin Alliance,” a group aiming to give patients more control over their medical data. It’s been noted that Apple VP of software technology Bud Tribble has been working with the latter group.

    (more…)