Trump proposes new private tracking system for Americans' personal health data

WASHINGTON - The Trump administration is pushing an initiative for millions of Americans to upload personal health data and medical records on new apps and systems run by private tech companies, promising that it will make it easier to access health records and monitor wellness.

President Donald Trump delivered remarks on the initiative Wednesday afternoon in the East Room about the proposal.

Leaders from more than 60 companies attended the event, including major tech companies such as Google and Amazon, as well as prominent hospital systems like the Cleveland Clinic.

Using AI to help patients

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The new system will focus on diabetes and weight management, conversational artificial intelligence that helps patients, and digital tools such as QR codes and apps that register patients for check-ins or track medications.

Officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, who will be in charge of maintaining the system, have said patients will need to opt in for the sharing of their medical records and data, which will be kept secure.

Those officials said patients will benefit from a system that lets them quickly call up their own records without the hallmark difficulties, such as requiring the use of fax machines to share documents, that have prevented them from doing so in the past.

"We have the tools and information available now to empower patients to improve their outcomes and their healthcare experience," Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator for CMS, said in a statement Wednesday.

Patients who may have to travel across the country to receive medical care can sometimes find it difficult to access their medical records from various providers. This new system will eliminate that hurdle, Cleveland Clinic’s CEO, Tomislav Mihaljevic, said.

Patient privacy

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Despite reassurances from federal health officials that patients' medical information will be kept secure, critics say there are still "enormous ethical and legal concerns." 

What they're saying:

"There are enormous ethical and legal concerns," said Lawrence Gostin, a Georgetown University law professor who specializes in public health. "Patients across America should be very worried that their medical records are going to be used in ways that harm them and their families."

CMS already has troves of information on more than 140 million Americans who enroll in Medicare and Medicaid. Earlier this month, the federal agency agreed to hand over its massive database, including home addresses, to deportation officials.

The new initiative would deepen the pool of information on patients for the federal government and tech companies. Medical records typically contain far more sensitive information, such as doctors' notes about conversations with patients and substance abuse or mental health history.