b.well Connected Health, a FHIR®-based digital health platform unifying healthcare data and services into seamless consumer experiences, has officially announced its pledge to become a CMSAligned Network under the newly launched CMS Interoperability Framework.
For better understanding, the stated framework is purpose-built to help private-sector organizations support patient-directed access, adopt FHIR API-based exchange, and power consumer-facing tools that practice a consumer and provider-first approach.
More on the same would reveal how b.well is now among the first companies with production-ready interoperability live today. To understand the significance of it, we must take into account how the company’s modern, FHIR-based platform integrates data, at the moment, from more than 1.8 million provider connections, 300+ payer connections, TEFCA, Health Information Networks (HINs), Health Information Exchanges (HIEs), labs, and pharmacies daily, optimized for patient access, and value-based care.
“This new CMS framework validates everything we have built for and believed in for over a decade,” said Kristen Valdes, CEO and Founder of b.well. “True interoperability cannot be achieved through regulatory compliance alone. It requires open standards, consumer empowerment, and a modernized architecture. Since our inception, we have believed that data belongs to patients, that interoperability requires semantic understanding beyond just data exchange, and that consumer-grade experiences are achievable in healthcare when we stop competing on data and start competing on the value offered on top of the data.”
Markedly enough, b.well’s production environment already supports the CMS-Aligned Network requirements across all five key areas.
These areas include, for starters, patient access and empowerment. This translates to how any application can connect through standardized FHIR APIs with OAuth2/OpenID Connect authentication. Beyond that, clinical data, mandated by US Core V3, will also be able to flow through standard interfaces, with comprehensive audit logging and patient-controlled consent management through FHIR Consent resources.
Next up, there is the prospect of provider access and delegation, which makes it possible for users to instantly access chart notes, clinical documents, appointment data, and care quality metrics. Beyond that, the platform also supports encounter-based queries, and at the same time, provides the delegated access models that facilitate modern care coordination.
Another detail worth a mention relates to how b.well effectively ensures data availability and standards compliance. Here, the solution in question makes a point to automatically convert all data formats to FHIR. The company’s AI-powered record locator also treads up a long distance to allow for demographic-based patient matching across the network’s comprehensive national provider directory which, on its part, contains over 8 million healthcare providers.
Hold on, we still have a couple of bits left to unpack, considering we haven’t yet touched upon the potential for connectivity and transparency. We get to say so because of how b.well maintains a multi-tiered data connectivity strategy through integrations with TEFCA, HINs, HIEs, Medicare Blue Button 2.0 (CARIN IG), the VA, proprietary pharmacy and laboratory networks, and the most robust set of Patient Access APIs on both providers and payers.
Rounding up highlights would be the prospect of security and trust. You see, the technology in question comes decked up with HITRUST certification, providing enterprise-grade security. Not just that, it also features IAL2-compliant identity verification, powered by CLEAR to support passwordless authentication that consumers expect.
b.well also confirmed its intention to showcase two of CMS’s objectives/use cases before year-end, with capabilities already deployed across leading healthcare organizations.
These use cases include eliminating the clipboard and fostering better communication through AI assistants.
The former empowers patients to access complete longitudinal health records instantly. Once the access is achieved, they can share the same through QR codes and SMART Health Links, while simultaneously enjoying the means to visit summaries and updated records.
As for the latter use case, it involves context-aware AI agents accessing and interpreting consumer health data in real time to guide patients through critical care decisions with secure, personalized brand of support which understands their complete clinical history.
“If you can board a plane with just facial recognition, you should be able to access your health data just as easily,” said Valdes. “CMS is encouraging an ecosystem where companies compete on delivering consumer value, not controlling access to data.”
