The Trump administration has unveiled a new program that aims to let Americans share their personal health data and medical records across different healthcare systems and private tech company apps, with the goal of making it easier for people to access their health information and track their wellness.
At a White House event titled “Make Health Tech Great Again,” President Donald Trump announced that over 60 companies, including technology firms such as Amazon, Apple, and Google, along with healthcare organizations like the Cleveland Clinic and UnitedHealth Group, have pledged to change how electronic medical records are handled.
The initiative centers on what the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services calls the “CMS Digital Health Tech Ecosystem,” a voluntary framework designed to enable seamless sharing of health information between patients, providers, and technology platforms.
Central to the program is what officials termed the “Kill the Clipboard” effort, which would replace paper intake forms at medical appointments with digital systems using QR codes or smartphone apps to instantly transmit patient information. Trump said patients would no longer need to repeatedly fill out forms detailing their medical history at each doctor visit.
The system will focus on three main areas: apps for diabetes and obesity management that integrate with patients’ medical records, conversational artificial intelligence assistants that can help explain care plans and schedule appointments, and digital check-in tools to streamline administrative processes.
According to Trump, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, the program will be voluntary, although details about the program’s implementation, platform, and scope remain unclear.
Privacy experts have raised concerns about the scope of data sharing. Lawrence Gostin, a Georgetown University law professor specializing in public health, said, “There are enormous ethical and legal concerns. Patients across America should be very worried that their medical records are going to be used in ways that harm them and their families.”
Eighteen health data networks have already pledged to meet the new interoperability standards to become “CMS Aligned Networks.”
Major health systems including Cleveland Clinic, Providence and Intermountain Health have committed to encouraging patient adoption of the new digital tools, while electronic health record vendors such as Epic, Oracle and athenahealth pledged to enhance data exchange capabilities.
The announcement comes as the Trump administration pushes broader artificial intelligence initiatives.
Companies that signed pledges include artificial intelligence firms Anthropic and Hippocratic AI, which have completed more than 3.35 million patient calls with an average satisfaction rating of 8.95 out of 10. Technology companies Samsung and Oracle also committed to the effort.
The CMS Interoperability Framework establishes clear guidelines for how companies can utilize health data. Companies can use the data for three primary purposes:
Treatment Purposes: Healthcare providers and their delegated technology partners can access complete patient health information to facilitate medical care, coordinate treatment between providers, and support clinical decision-making.
Payment and Healthcare Operations: Payers including Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers can query for specific quality data elements and clinical information tied to recent claims for payment processing and healthcare operations.
Patient-Directed Services: With explicit patient consent, companies can develop apps and tools that provide personalized health insights, diabetes and obesity management support, conversational AI assistance, and digital check-in services.
Companies have pledged to develop tools in three specific categories:
Diabetes and Obesity Management Apps: These applications can integrate with patients’ medical records to provide personalized insights, track health metrics, and support chronic disease management. For example, Noom will be able to pull medical records, including lab results, into its AI-driven weight loss analysis once patients opt in.
Conversational AI Assistants: AI-powered tools can access patient health records with consent to explain care plans, help schedule appointments, and provide educational content while clearly distinguishing between educational information and clinical guidance.
Digital Administrative Tools: Companies can use health data to eliminate paper-based processes, pre-populate patient information for appointments, and streamline healthcare administrative tasks.
Privacy advocates have raised concerns about potential data monetization:
Commercial Use Restrictions: Companies can develop revenue-generating health apps and services.
Third-Party Data Sharing: The initiative allows companies to share data “voluntarily” with each other.
Research and Development: Companies may use aggregated, de-identified data for research purposes and product development, similar to existing healthcare data practices.
The system is scheduled to launch by the first quarter of 2026.
