Trump officials float plan to share medical data

Thursday, July 31, 2025

The Trump administration and the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have announced plans to begin building a new digital health information system, in collaboration with a growing list of private-sector companies. Dubbed the CMS Digital Health Ecosystem, the new program aims to make it easier for patients to access their own medical records and health data.

Posted by LampLighter at 06:38 PM | 6 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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... For now, the CMS's initiative is still in its nascent stages. But the long-term goal is to enable a range of apps that will allow individual patients more control over who can access their medical data and when.

The apps are broadly divided into categories including conversational AI assistants, "kill the clipboard" apps for eliminating paper forms, and apps for managing obesity and diabetes.

Companies said to have signed up as partners in the scheme include medical records giants Epic Systems and Oracle Health (formerly Cerner, which Oracle acquired in 2022); tech titans such as Amazon, Anthropic, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI.

For-profit healthcare and insurance providers like Citizen Health, Polygon Health, and UnitedHealth Group are also aboard, as are data networks including CommonWell Health Alliance, CRISP, and eHealth Exchange. ...

#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-07-31 06:40 PM | Reply

Now AI will be using our medical records as another source of data.

What can possibly go wrong?

#2 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-07-31 06:42 PM | Reply

"Strictly opt-in[,]" nope. There my interest ends. If you are stupid enough to opt-in then you deserve any bad effects.

Recently a contractor for my medicare advantage plan sent sent me a completed VA release for all my medical records. I chuckled as I threw it in the trash can. It was the second one. The result will be the same for any in the future.

#3 | Posted by et_al at 2025-07-31 07:02 PM | Reply

@#3 ... There my interest ends. If you are stupid enough to opt-in then you deserve any bad effects. ...

I agree.

But, when it is "opt-in," how difficult might the "opt-out" option be?

Is "opt-in" the default option presented?

I am reminded this about Amazon Prime mess...

FTC Takes Action Against Amazon for Enrolling Consumers in Amazon Prime Without Consent and Sabotaging Their Attempts to Cancel (2023)
www.ftc.gov

... Complaint outlines details of company's knowing failure to address non-consensual subscriptions and cancellation trickery ...

Big Tech seems to have mastered the ability to make (all but force) people to "opt-in." Their profits depend on it.)

So, I ask once again, what can possibly go wrong with my medical data being fed to Bg Tech's AI?

And then combine that with the data that Musk's DOGE efforts may have taken from Federal computing systems for his AI...

I am not optimistic.

#4 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-07-31 07:18 PM | Reply

Recently a contractor for my medicare advantage plan sent sent me a completed VA release for all my medical records. I chuckled as I threw it in the trash can. It was the second one
#3 | Posted by et_al

To actually have a functioning system, and one that isn't okay with exploiting people:

It should be illegal for them to ask.

#5 | Posted by snoofy at 2025-07-31 07:31 PM | Reply

fwiw, my local hospital uses Oracle Health for patient access to their medical data.

Yeah, Oracle is a Big Tech company that may not be concerned about profits above all else.

#6 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-07-31 07:51 PM | Reply