Microsoft, Google, OpenAI Push Health Record Access

KFF Health News reported that federal health officials quietly used a Slack room and private meetings to shape the “Health Technology Ecosystem,” inviting at least 35 industry groups to a February listening session that was not posted on the FDA’s public calendar. CMS has also launched a Medicare App Library that currently lists about two dozen commercial apps, and officials have said the platform could become a “sales engine” for health apps.

That is drawing scrutiny from physicians and legal experts who say the setup resembles an advisory committee operating outside normal public rules. The American Medical Association’s John Whyte said many of the tools are not ready for broad use and that there is no clear liability if they misfire, a concern that grows as apps access increasingly intimate records to generate advice on obesity, diabetes and cancer.

The policy stakes are economic as well as clinical. CMS officials have suggested some apps may be prioritized for a reimbursement program for AI chatbot advice and wearable-device tracking, which would give approved products a direct path to Medicare payment and potentially widen adoption among older Americans and disabled beneficiaries.

For investors, the story reinforces a central theme in health tech: access and reimbursement can matter more than the product itself. Microsoft and Google would gain from deeper integration into healthcare workflows, while startups such as Slothwise could benefit from Medicare endorsement, but the same model raises regulatory, privacy and reputational risk if patient data is mishandled or AI outputs prove unreliable.

The next flashpoint is whether CMS and FDA formalize the rules around app access, consent and disclosure. Any move toward broader reimbursement or public promotion of AI health apps would likely draw more lobbying from tech firms and sharper resistance from doctors, privacy advocates and lawmakers worried about data capture and industry influence.