White House rallies health systems, tech giants for digital health ecosystem – Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News
The Trump administration on July 30 announced a public-private partnership to create a more connected and user-friendly digital health system for patients and providers.
During a “Make Health Tech Great Again” event hosted at the White House alongside the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, companies including Amazon, Apple, Google, Anthropic and OpenAI pledged to support a digital overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system.
The initiative focuses on two main goals: improving the secure exchange of health information between providers and patients, and expanding access to digital tools that support personalized care, according to a July 30 news release from CMS.
“We’re tearing down digital walls, returning power to patients, and rebuilding a health system that serves the people,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said during the event. “This is how we begin to Make America Healthy Again.”
The initiative builds on a May 2025 request for information from CMS and the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy, which generated nearly 1,400 public comments from patients, caregivers, providers, payers and developers. Feedback from that process helped inform the programs and policies announced July 30.
Here are 12 things to know:
- New standards for data exchange: CMS introduced voluntary interoperability criteria designed to work across EHRs, tech platforms and health information networks. More than 60 companies have pledged to align with these standards by early 2026.
- Interoperability pledges: Twenty-one health networks have pledged to meet CMS’ interoperability framework to become CMS-Aligned Networks.
- Health system participation: Eleven health systems — including Sanford Health (Sioux Falls, S.D.), Cleveland Clinic, Bon Secours Mercy Health (Cincinnati), Intermountain Health (Salt Lake City), and Providence (Renton, Wash.) — have committed to encouraging patient adoption of new digital tools.
- EHR vendor support: Seven EHR companies, including Oracle, Athenahealth and Epic, pledged to enhance data exchange capabilities and reduce reliance on paper-based intake processes.
- Digital health tools in development: CMS said upcoming apps will use secure digital identity verification to help patients access their medical records and provide services such as:
- Management tools for diabetes and obesity
- AI-powered symptom checkers and care navigation platforms
- Digital check-in tools to eliminate paper forms
- App library on Medicare.gov: CMS plans to launch a digital health app library later this year to highlight trusted, personalized tools focused on prevention, chronic disease management and cost-effective care navigation.
- Plan Finder enhancements: CMS is upgrading the Medicare Plan Finder to help beneficiaries select plans that include their preferred hospitals and providers.
- National Provider Directory API: A new API will allow applications to locate provider networks and improve data accuracy using FHIR-based technology.
- Modern digital identity for Medicare.gov: CMS plans to add secure digital identity features this year while maintaining current user access functionality.
- Faster access to claims data: CMS is working to shorten the time between when claims are received and when they become available via the Blue Button system. FHIR-based digital insurance cards will also be introduced for Medicare.gov users and developers.
- CMS-Aligned Networks launch: CMS introduced a new interoperability framework that will allow patients to retrieve claims data from participating networks without needing separate logins for each provider. The first phase is expected to roll out in the first quarter of 2026.
- Privacy and HIPAA enforcement: The Office for Civil Rights said it supports efforts to improve timely access to electronic health data while maintaining strong protections under HIPAA. If a patient receives another person’s information in error, OCR’s main concern is ensuring the breach is promptly reported to the affected individual and HHS.