| |  | Tech Check Up | A new federal partnership seeks to fix the clunky silos in the nation’s electronic medical records. The initiative, led by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, aims to enable mobile apps able to store Medicare patients’ health records on their phones so that they can share it with providers through a QR code. My colleague Rebecca Adams, the lead health care analyst at WP Intelligence, attended an event at HHS headquarters Thursday and sent this dispatch. At the event, top health officials and corporate executives previewed some of the apps and other tools, arguing the technologies’ use marks a significant shift in how patients’ electronic records will be shared. → The change enabling people to have records on their phone — and other advancements — is being rolled out this month by some companies, but a larger launch is planned for around July 4. How it works: Patients could get their health records by verifying their identities, including with facial recognition technology. This includes CLEAR — often seen in airports — and ID.me, in addition to a federal website called Login.gov. Who is involved?: There are 700 participating companies, including smaller start-ups and industry giants. Those include CVS Health, Amazon, Epic, Oracle Health, Humana and UnitedHealth Group. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.) And: The program also is creating a national provider directory that will make it easier for insurers to trust that someone listed as a medical provider actually is verified — and also making it easier to swap such data. Officials say that this would also enable patients to more easily find providers. Caregivers also will be able to create their own accounts for patients under their care. The initiative also paves the way for more access to apps — often using artificial intelligence — that provide patients with personalized guidance on nutrition and disease management. “AI is the key driver. It can translate complex challenges into clear, actionable guidance,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said at the event. Although there has been an uptick in people using AI to help diagnose themselves, create meal plans and even engage in therapy, some critics of the technology argue that AI chatbots or tools can be prone to errors or even provide bad advice that can leave patients in worse shape. → There are still questions about what it means for patient privacy and the potential risk of having sensitive medical information exposed in the event of a data breach given that extremely personal data for millions of consumers could be involved. CMS officials say the patient’s information will be encrypted, and the QR code is an encrypted smart health link. The apps must also go through a certification process, and developers have to follow a code of conduct regarding privacy policy and data use terms. “We're not mandating anyone go and use these apps,” said U.S. DOGE Service Acting Administrator Amy Gleason. “It's up to patients to pick the one that they like and trust.” Certified apps would be available for consumers to choose through an online Medicare app library. Meanwhile, companies using AI can’t train the models using patients’ data, Gleason told reporters. She also said they cannot sell the data. Gleason said she is motivated by the experience of her adult daughter, who spoke at the event and has used more than 50 health information portals in dealing with her rare disease. | 
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