Healthcare Apps Bring Dosage Reminders, Doctor Consults to Apple Watch

As Apple Watch pre-orders continue to roll in, a few healthcare companies have announced apps for the device that aim to provide services from reminding users to take the correct dosage to initiating a video conferencing call with a doctor on an iPhone.

WebMD's app plans to introduce a "Medication Reminder" feature "designed to encourage medication compliance and help improve patient outcomes." The Watch app will allow users to view their personal log of medical information, schedules, and instructions, with custom pill images of their own personal medication, and taptic feedback reminders on when to take each dosage.

The company also promises to take advantage of Glances and the Watch's Long-Look features, allowing users to quickly glance at their next timed pill dose and look at their watch longer for more detailed instructions when a notification comes in.

"One of the most significant barriers to achieving positive patient outcomes is the issue of medication non-compliance, which remains a largely unsolved problem today," said WebMD President Dr. Steven Zatz. "We believe that the combination of WebMD's Medication Reminder on Apple Watch represents a powerful new approach to address the issue of non-compliance in a way never before possible."

HealthTap also announced plans to enter the Apple Watch app market, with the "DocNow App" allowing customers to initiate one-on-one conversations with a doctor 24/7, the consults priced at $2.99 per minute. The company, which already provides the one-on-one service via an iPhone app, promises the Watch app will introduce more detailed, personalized consults thanks to the Watch's gathering of each individual user's healthcare and activity data.

“We’re extremely excited to be on the forefront of the third generation of computing by offering this first-of-its-kind ‘Affordable-Care App’ via the all-new Apple Watch,” says Ron Gutman, HealthTap’s founder and CEO. “At HealthTap we’re committed to continuously innovating and continuously launch new ways to provide faster, more affordable access to trusted doctors so billions everywhere can live healthier happier lives.”

Lastly, Medisafe announced its own Apple Watch app, showcasing a standard Apple Watch app version of the company's iPhone experience. Medisafe notes that Watch features like Force Touch will let users mark medications as "taken" and more quickly respond to the app's prompts. Similar to WebMD's Glances, Medisafe plans to use the feature in providing quick-second glances at each user's scheduled dosage reminders.

It only took around 6 hours for the initial shipping estimates of all Apple Watch models to slip to a 4-6 week dispatch estimate, or even later in cases of more popular band and color options. As try-on appointments happened over the weekend, and continue to happen in the weeks ahead, more and more users post pictures and experiences with the device, generating more buzz for Apple's first wearable in the lead-up to its April 24 launch date.