I tried Apple's improved Health app. Here's what I found

Chasing down medical records just might make you sick.

You visit one online patient portal to hunt for lab results. You log onto another caregiver’s site to check on your immunizations. Then there’s the specialist that performed your last medical procedure. Good luck getting the doc's overtaxed staff to help out.

Apple hopes to address the disparate medical-records epidemic through an update to the Health Records section within the Health app on the iPhone, made available on Thursday as part of the iOS 11.3 public beta software upgrade. The idea is that you can easily view all of your relevant medical records in one place, the iPhone (or iPod Touch).

Such records pertain to allergies, immunizations, vitals, test results, medications, procedures, conditions, and so on.

Apple’s designs on cracking the digital health market are by no means new for the company, or the tech industry for that matter. Alphabet (Google's parent), Microsoft and Samsung have similar ambitions in the space.

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Among its other initiatives, Apple has teamed up with Stanford University School of Medicine on an ongoing study that uses the heart rate sensor inside the Apple Watch to collect data on irregular heart rhythms.

Apple also pushes a developer platform known as HealthKit, which lets health and fitness apps share data.

That's separate from what Apple is doing with the Health app on the iPhone. The current app includes data sections on nutrition, sleep, physical exercise and more. Those will remain. But the newer version promises a more complete and up-to-date picture of all (or most) of your health records.

Not an easy cure

The goal Apple is trying to solve is worthwhile but the cure is not all that simple. Your medical records are indeed likely held across multiple hospitals, clinics or other wellness providers, not to mention in the offices of your own doctor. The technologies the various providers use are often incompatible.

“We’re all seeking ways to try to make the experience a better one for our patients. It’s already been a long road and I think this is another step along the way,” said Stephanie Reel, chief information officer at Johns Hopkins Medicine, in an interview. Johns Hopkins is one of a dozen hospitals and clinics working with Apple on this latest initiative.

The other institutions are listed at the end, with the roster likely to grow by the time the beta designation is lifted from iOS 11.3 this spring.

How many people with iPhones choose to ultimately store their records on the phone is an unknown. Reel says around 10% to 12% of of the people that come through Johns Hopkins, take advantage of Hopkins' own patient portal.

At some point your personal doctor may also be able to participate with Apple, too, provided he or she can access standardized electronic versions of patients’ paper charts. That may take awhile.

Apple is also working with medical health records companies Epic Systems, Cerner, and AthenaHealth.

How it works

I downloaded the iOS 11.3 beta onto an iPhone X loaner but since none of the 12 health institutions are in my backyard or store my data, I could only go so far in testing the updated app. (Keep in mind that downloading beta software onto your primary phone comes with its own risks, so you may want to wait for the final version).

I did get a feel for how it will work. You navigate to the Health Records section of the app by tapping the Health Data icon at the bottom of the screen.

You can either search for a medical provider by hospital name, network or location, or choose from the provider list Apple surfaces. Tap the institution to select it. The first time doing so, you’ll have to sign in with your user ID and password for that institution, the same credentials you’d use for that hospital’s patient portal. The promise is that having done so once, you won’t have to enter your credentials again. In that sense, using the app is like using email.

By default, the improved Health app will automatically look for updated medical records on a weekly basis, though you’ll be able to check more frequently, or get notifications when new data arrives. No need to freak out; I’m told the notifications won't reveal any private data. You’ll have to open the app to view the numbers.

It's also quite possible that your doctors may withhold submitting certain records, at least until he or she gets a chance to go over the results with you.

Privacy matters

Now, the question that is likely top of mind: how does Apple protect your privacy and security? Apple says that the health records data goes directly from the medical provider to your phone--it doesn't reside on Apple's own servers. The data is encrypted while on your device and during the period in which it is transferred from the hospital to your handset. So no, Apple can’t discover your cholesterol levels or learn that you suffer say from asthma.

You do have the option to store and back up your data in iCloud where it also remains encrypted.

For now you can’t send medical records from the app to a new doctor or some other health care provider you’re considering. You can let them look at your phone screen, which might not exactly be convenient. Apple won’t say, but I’m guessing they’ll get around to letting you send data through the app.

Nor can you contact the hospital or clinic directly within the app, should you want to consult with someone about test results that seem out of whack or beyond a “normal” range. If that happens you’re expected to contact your doctor directly the old fashioned way, assuming the physician hasn’t gotten in touch with you first.

According to Dr. Christopher Longhurst, the chief information officer at UC San Diego, the institution will only download data to the iOS app that was on UC San Diego's patient portal. To help patients unschooled in health care to understand the numbers at the portal, "we attempt to contextualize these results...and enable tools for patients to securely message with their care providers," he says.

Apple is just getting started here. I look forward to taking the temperature of this app once iOS 11.3 is no longer in beta and more medical institutions come on board.

Medical institutions working with Apple Health app

John Hopkins Medicine - Baltimore

Cedars-Sinai - Los Angeles

Penn Medicine - Philadelphia,

Geisinger Health System - Danville, Pa.

UC San Diego Health - San Diego

UNC Health Care - Chapel Hill, NC.

Rush University Medical Center - Chicago

Dignity Health - Arizona, California and Nevada

Ochsner Health System - Jefferson Parish, La.

MedStar Health - Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia

OhioHealth – Columbus

Cerner Healthe Clinic - Kansas City, Mo.

Email: ebaig@usatoday.com; Follow USA TODAY Personal Tech Columnist @edbaig on Twitter