With the HIMSS (2015 Healthcare Information Management Systems Society) show going on in Chicago this week and the Apple Watch set to debut on April 24, health and health care companies of all kinds are coming out of the woodwork to show off their new Apple Watch apps.

Some of these apps sound very compelling. In a world where pagers and landline phones are still widely used by doctors and other to coordinate care, an effective wrist-based communication tool could have a huge impact in hospitals and clinics. Some of the apps announced in the past week take a stab at filling that niche.

Other apps seem to struggle a bit to find their reason for showing up on a tiny wrist-based screen. Some health apps we’ve seen display information on the Watch about actions that can only be done on the paired phone. Certainly there’s some PR value in being perceived as a health company progressive enough to release a Watch app before the new Apple device even launches.

Read More