WebMD is poised for a big step towards the 'quantified self' movement with a new biometric tracking service it will launch early next year.

The online health information firm is retooling its iPhone app to allow users to upload biometric data from a wide array of fitness, wellness and medical devices.

This health tracking service, on which WebMD is working with wireless technology company Qualcomm, will massively increase the amount of data WebMD will allow its users to track.

The company said the aim is all about improving consumers' ability to access and manage their health data, something that has grown in popularity with the rapid advance of so-called 'quantified self' self-tracking technology.

WebMD's steps into this arena include its forthcoming app, which is set to go live in the first quarter of 2014, and a number of related services, including an ecommerce venture that will sell “biometric devices from the industry's leading providers”.

Bill Pence, WebMD's chief technology officer and chief operating officer, said: "WebMD is uniquely positioned to facilitate consumer-provider connectivity and accelerate the roll-out of quantified health solutions to the masses.

"Our Patient Instructions functionality will enable consumers and their providers to jointly manage their care, and our partnership with Qualcomm Life will provide consumers with a more personalised WebMD experience that makes biometric data more actionable."

The company is also expanding its Patient Instructions services, currently in beta testing, which enables doctors to securely send patient education materials via WebMD's iPhone app or the WebMD website.

The drive behind services such as Patient Instructions was, CEO David Schlanger said, to “make health information more actionable and accelerate consumer-provider connectivity”.

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