Major health tech companies have agreed to work with the Trump administration to make their clients’ medical records available across multiple healthcare systems.

The administration announced that tech and insurance companies including Google, Amazon, OpenAI, UnitedHealth Group and CVS will roll out new apps powered by AI where users can upload their health records to access whenever they need them, making them more accessible and shareable among patients and their doctors. 

While supporters say the move will help make the fragmented health record system more accessible to patients, privacy experts have raised concerns about the potential risks. 

Officials announced the effort Wednesday, which will involve collaboration between the federal government and 60 tech and health companies. 

Electronic health records often don’t transfer smoothly between providers, forcing patients to fill out redundant paperwork at every appointment. This can lead to delays in care, repeated tests, missing or incomplete information, and even missed or incorrect diagnoses. 

Patients will be able to upload their consolidated health records onto their apps of choice, such as Oura, Anthropic, and ZocDoc, which officials say will allow people to meld their medical care with lifestyle tracking and tips.

However, insurance exchange experts warn that the plan raises serious privacy concerns. 

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services must comply with HIPAA, the federal health privacy law that prohibits unauthorized sharing of a person’s medical information, but third-party tech companies are generally not bound by HIPAA unless they’re acting as a provider’s business associate — meaning health data shared directly with an app, rather than through a doctor or hospital, often isn’t protected under the same rules. 

Administration officials said Wednesday that their plan will allow patients to upload their consolidated health records onto their apps of choice, such as Oura and ZocDoc, which officials say will allow people to meld their medical care with lifestyle tips

HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy, Jr said Wednesday: ‘For decades, bureaucrats and entrenched interests buried health data and blocked patients from taking control of their health. That ends today.

‘We’re tearing down digital walls, returning power to patients, and rebuilding a health system that serves the people. This is how we begin to Make America Healthy Again.’

The new system, to be overseen by CMS, will require people to opt in. But this leaves room for inconsistent privacy protections, potential data commercialization hidden in the fine print, and little recourse if a tech company misuses personal health data outside HIPAA’s purview.

Once a patient’s records are in the system, they will be able to transfer those records to wellness apps that track steps, exercise, and calories, a move that is designed for weight management and to help prevent or track diabetes.

The weight-loss company Noom, for example, will be able to pull medical records, labs, or other tests of its users into its AI-driven analysis of what might help them lose weight, CEO Geoff Cook told the Associated Press.

CMS said it plans to build an app ‘library’ on its site that will point people to trustworthy digital health tools.

‘We have the tools and information available now to empower patients to improve their outcomes and their healthcare experience,’ CMS Administrator Dr Mehmet Oz said.

‘With the commitments made by these entrepreneurial companies today, we stand ready for a paradigm shift in the US healthcare system for the benefit of patients and providers.’

CMS said it plans to build an app ‘library’ on its site that will point people to trustworthy digital health tools

Electronic health records systems are fragmented, with various hospitals and doctors’ offices conducting their unique affairs, sometimes involving fax machines

But ethicists, patient advocates, and privacy experts fear the new initiative will be a minefield of data misuse, weak oversight, and uneven accountability.

It remains unclear what privacy guardrails tech companies will erect for this nonbinding agreement with the administration and how it will hold those companies accountable for errors.

Lawrence Gostin, a Georgetown University law professor who specializes in public health, told the AP: ‘Patients across America should be very worried that their medical records are going to be used in ways that harm them and their families.’

Even if apps use data that originated from a HIPAA-covered source, such as CMS, once in the hands of a non-covered third party, federal privacy protections on that data may weaken, depending on contracts and oversight.

While the goal of the new CMS Interoperability Framework, which could go into effect as soon as next year, is to streamline health data sharing across a multitude of platforms, improved access to records enlarges targets for would-be hackers.

It also increases the likelihood of sensitive data being shared with other parties without the person’s consent.

Jeffrey Chester, Executive Director of the Center for Digital Democracy, told the AP: ‘This scheme is an open door for the further use and monetization of sensitive and personal health information.’

This is President Trump’s second attempt at devising a system that gives patients better access to their healthcare records. 

He made a similar proposal during his first term in 2018.

It would have enabled people to easily transfer electronic health records from provider to provider, but it lacked the involvement of AI and some of the voluntary standards.

The initiative did not have the impact the administration had hoped. Most providers did not switch to compatible systems and resisted sharing data for fear of a breach, while public awareness was low, so demand never reached expected levels.