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HHS secretary: 60% of Americans can access health records; CMS warns hospitals on price-transparency fines
Summary
At a Health Tech Ecosystem anniversary event, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. credited industry-government partnership for raising patient access to records to about 60% and said CMS will enforce price-transparency requirements, including penalties for noncompliant hospitals.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told a packed HHS auditorium that "Every American has the right to access their own medical records" and credited a public-private push for rapid gains in patient access to data. "One year ago, only 5 percent of Americans could import health records into an app of their choice. Today, that number is at 60 percent," he said.
Kennedy said the department will both incentivize interoperability and enforce existing rules. "In June, doctor Oz and I announced that CMS identified more than 500 hospitals that were not complying with the Trump administration's orders on price transparency," he said, adding that HHS will impose penalties "including up to $2,000,000 for large hospitals" if noncompliance continues. He framed the effort as expanding patient choice: "Give Americans the ability to shop for care... and make informed decisions before they even walk into a hospital."
The secretary repeatedly framed the initiative as patient-centered and market-driven: he said the administration relied on convening standards and private-sector adoption rather than mandates to accelerate progress. He also emphasized enforcement where data-blocking or other violations are found and said suspected fraud or information-blocking would be referred to appropriate enforcement agencies.
Next steps, he said, are focused on adoption: ensuring providers know how to receive patient-shared records and reinforcing accountability for transparency. The speech was part of a broader event where CMS and partner agencies highlighted technical workstreams and pilot programs now in production.
