WASHINGTON — More than 60 technology companies, healthcare organizations and health information networks have joined a White House-backed initiative aimed at giving patients easier access to their medical records and expanding the use of digital health tools, as the Trump administration presses ahead with efforts to modernize the U.S. healthcare system.
The initiative, announced during a White House event hosted with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), includes voluntary commitments from major technology companies including Amazon, Apple, Anthropic, Google and OpenAI, alongside healthcare providers, electronic health record vendors and health information networks. Participants pledged to support a new interoperability framework designed to make health information more accessible and portable for patients.
According to CMS, the effort focuses on two primary goals: improving the secure exchange of health information between patients and providers, and encouraging the development of consumer-facing applications that help people manage their healthcare.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the initiative is intended to give patients greater control over their medical information. CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said the commitments could help modernize a healthcare system that has lagged behind technological advances seen in other sectors.
CMS said 21 health information networks committed to meeting the agency's interoperability criteria to become CMS-aligned networks. Eleven health systems and providers pledged to participate in the program, while seven electronic health record companies agreed to facilitate broader data exchange.
The agency said participating companies plan to develop applications using secure digital identity credentials that would allow patients to retrieve medical records from participating networks. Planned tools include applications for diabetes and obesity management, AI-powered assistants to help patients navigate care and schedule appointments, and digital check-in systems intended to replace paper intake forms. CMS said it expects initial results during the first quarter of 2026.
The initiative builds on a joint request for information issued by CMS and the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy earlier in 2025 seeking recommendations on modernizing the nation's digital health infrastructure. CMS said it received nearly 1,400 public comments that helped shape the program.
Administration officials also said CMS is developing additional digital health infrastructure, including a national provider directory, faster access to Medicare claims data through Blue Button services, enhanced Medicare.gov tools and expanded digital identity capabilities intended to improve secure access to health records while maintaining compliance with federal privacy requirements.
CMS said it will continue implementing the interoperability framework and plans to expand participation as companies work toward delivering the pledged digital health capabilities in 2026.
