Microsoft shuts HealthVault Insights

Microsoft has announced that it is set to close HealthVault Insights, a surprise to many as healthcare technologies are continually growing apace.

Launched last year as part of Microsoft’s Healthcare NexT initiative, the unit looks at how machine learning and AI can support improved patient engagement and control over the management of their healthcare needs, the company has bought together data from various medical sources through the use of patient medical records and partnerships with various tech giants.

However, the company has now stated that it is set to close the app:

“We launched HealthVault Insights as a research project, with the goal of helping patients generate new insights about their health. Since then, we’ve learned a lot about how machine learning can be used to increase patient engagement and are now applying that knowledge to other projects.

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“As part of this progression, we’ve made the decision to remove HealthVault Insights from the iOS, Android and Windows stores effective later this month.”

Reassuring users that this will have no impact on data previously inputted on the site, the company has added that it will remain accessible through the HealthVault website.

On its website, HealthVault Insights has worked to provide the following features for users:

• Personal Analytics – providing machine learning on individual trends and across populations
• Cross-platform support – works with a number of health-tech companies and providers, such as Apple Health and Google
• Medical records – embeds finger print access to all patient health records. Apple has recently released its centralised platform for medical records, using solely a passcode.
• Action plans framework
• Cortana Integration – enables users to look at how their location impacts their health needs
• Activity feeds – provides daily tracking and information surrounding key trends, enabling further education surrounding a user’s healthcare needs.