Samsung and b.well team up to eliminate medical paperwork on smartphones

Going to the doctor usually means the same routine: filling out forms you've completed dozens of times before, trying to remember all your medications, and logging into multiple health portals that don't talk to each other. Samsung and b.well Connected Health want to change that.

The companies announced a partnership that puts your complete medical history on your Samsung Galaxy phone. Users can access their health records, get plain-language explanations of medical jargon, and share everything with doctors instantly through the Samsung Health app. The collaboration supports the federal "Kill the Clipboard" initiative, which aims to eliminate repetitive healthcare paperwork.

How will it work?

The system turns your Samsung phone into a central hub for all your health information. Here's what users can do:

• View complete health records from multiple hospitals and clinics in one place
• Get AI-powered explanations that translate medical terms into everyday language
• Share verified health data with new doctors instantly, no forms required
• Combine medical records with fitness data from Samsung Health

b.well connects to a nationwide network of health systems to pull your records together. CLEAR provides identity verification to make sure the data stays secure and goes to the right person.

"This is the moment interoperability becomes real for people," said Kristen Valdes, CEO of b.well. "For years, patients were promised access to their health data but still faced friction at every appointment. Now the experience matches the policy."

Why does it matter?

American healthcare runs on paperwork. Patients repeat the same information at every appointment because hospitals can't or won't share data with each other. This creates several problems:

• Wasted time for patients and medical staff
• Higher risk of errors when patients forget medications or medical history
• Fragmented care when doctors don't have complete information
• Administrative costs that drive up healthcare spending

The Samsung-b.well partnership addresses these issues by putting patients in control of their own data. Instead of asking hospitals to share information with each other, it gives people direct access to their records and lets them decide what to share.

"This is about making healthcare simple by reducing friction for consumers to easily access, manage, and share their medical records," said Dr. Hon Pak, who leads Samsung's digital health team.

The context

The federal government has been pushing healthcare interoperability for years through regulations and initiatives. The "Kill the Clipboard" program from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services specifically targets repetitive paperwork and data silos.

Most digital health efforts have focused on getting hospitals to integrate their systems. Samsung and b.well are taking a different approach by connecting directly to consumers instead of trying to change how hospitals work.

The partnership also shows how major tech companies are moving deeper into healthcare. Samsung already tracks fitness and wellness data through its health app. Adding medical records creates a more complete picture of someone's health status.

CLEAR's involvement highlights another trend: using verified digital identity to secure health data. The same technology that speeds up airport security can now protect medical information as it moves between devices and providers.

Samsung and b.well will show off the system at the HIMSS healthcare technology conference. The feature is currently available to Samsung Galaxy users in the US through the Samsung Health app.