White House Pushes for Unified Health Records & Data Sharing

The Trump administration’s health officials are bringing leading tech companies to the White House to unveil a voluntary data-sharing framework aimed at improving interoperability across the U.S. healthcare system. 

The initiative, coordinated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is part of a broader strategy to build a smarter, more secure, and patient-centered digital health infrastructure. 

In This Edition, we unpack what this means for vendors, providers, and digital health builders from policy signals to platform implications. 

But first, here is a small capsule of some crucial headlines in the HealthTech world. 

In the Spotlight 

1. mRNA vaccines for HIV trigger a strong immune response in people 

2. Data Risk Management Best Practices for Healthcare 

3. Moderna quarterly sales beat Street estimates on COVID booster sales, cost cuts 

4. White House rallies health systems, tech giants for patient-centric healthcare ecosystem 

5. Questions and expectations rise as Monarez steps into the director’s role at CDC 

What’s Being Pushed - and Who’s Driving It 

The Initiative: A voluntary national framework for interoperability, with guiding principles around: 

• Seamless data exchange across systems 

• Secure, standards-based access to patient records 

• Improved connectivity between providers, payers, and patients 

Led by: 

• Robert F. Kennedy Jr., HHS Secretary 

• Dr. Mehmet Oz, CMS Administrator 

• Amy Gleason (DOGE) and Arda Kara (CMS) – both former startup execs turned policy architects 

Key Players: 

• Tech companies like Clear are expected to join, signaling cross-industry alignment 

• While participation is optional, this is shaping up to be a soft mandate — with the federal government using influence over policy and reimbursement to push for standardization 

Backdrop: 

• Follows a May CMS request for input on health data sharing barriers 

• Builds on previous (and often fragmented) efforts like ONC’s TEFCA and FHIR mandates, but with a broader vision and higher political visibility 

Why It Matters: Industry Implications 

1. Voluntary Now - But Not for Long. While the initiative isn’t regulatory (yet), expect future tie-ins to Medicare/Medicaid participation, value-based care programs, or certification pathways.  Interoperability may become a competitive differentiator - or a minimum requirement. 

2. Health Systems Will Need to Modernize. The push highlights longstanding pain points in legacy EHR systems, fragmented APIs, and one-way data exchanges.  Organizations slow to upgrade will find themselves on the wrong side of policy - and user expectations. 

3. Identity and Access Tech Will Take Center Stage. With companies like Clear attending, digital identity, consent management, and federated access could become essential building blocks.  This opens the door for health-tech vendors, cloud platforms, and patient app providers to rethink authentication and access strategies. 

4. New Standards, Same Old Challenges. The plan will likely emphasize FHIR, but we’re still dealing with: 

5. Inconsistent data models 

• Variability across EHR vendor implementations 

• Workflow integration issues for clinicians 

• Governance gaps around privacy, use cases, and auditability 

Opportunities for Collaboration - or Confusion. With no binding enforcement, industry participation may be uneven.  Leaders who proactively engage could shape policy and partnerships; laggards risk being forced into retroactive compliance. 

The Real Need 

The U.S. healthcare system still struggles with siloed records, redundant tests, and frustrating patient handoffs. For decades, interoperability has been the promise that never delivered.  This initiative reflects a shift - from pilot projects and aspirational roadmaps to federal-level alignment on real frameworks. 

Challenges Ahead 

• Voluntary = Variability: Without a compliance mechanism, uptake may be inconsistent. 

• Vendor Lock-In: EHR vendors may resist open data exchange that threatens existing revenue models. 

• Privacy, Consent & Equity: Whose data? Who decides? These questions remain largely unanswered. 

• Lack of Technical Readiness: Many provider systems still can’t consume or send standard-compliant data. 

Our Expert Take  

Before people start freaking out about this, healthcare interoperability is being pushed by dozens of countries around the world. 

The idea is to have a common data standard (commonly HL7 FHIR) and a common set of rules around exporting and importing data into electronic health records. This makes it easier to transfer records to and from medical institutions. It helps when you need to transfer doctors, and it also makes it easier to send medical information to/from specialists or hospitals to ensure that medical professionals have all the info on your health rather than just a portion. 

And before we argue over which standard “wins,” here’s a reality check:  It’s 2025, and even top-tier hospitals like Mayo Clinic still ask patients to fax their records. 

We’ve got a long way to go. But this White House push could be the first real momentum in years.