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OpenAI announced today the release of ChatGPT Health, which the company said combines a person's personal health information with ChatGPT's intelligence to help navigate the healthcare system and answer everyday health and wellness questions.
The company also announced that it is partnering with health management platform b.well to allow users of ChatGPT Health to connect their personal medical records to ChatGPT. OpenAI said b.well will serve as the technical back end to securely access and unify an individual's health data.
"You can securely connect medical records and wellness apps to ground conversations in your own health information, so responses are more relevant and useful to you," the company said in a statement.
OpenAI said the platform, which it developed in collaboration with physicians globally, includes additional protections beyond ChatGPT, including purpose-built encryption and isolation to protect and compartmentalize healthcare-related conversations.
Users can upload information, such as medical records for lab results, visit summaries and clinical history, as well as Apple Health data.
ChatGPT Health will provide lab test insights and nutrition ideas, including access to MyFitnessPal for nutrition advice and recipes, and Weight Watchers for personalized meal ideas, recipes and food guidance for GLP-1 users.
Users will be able to add customized instructions in Health to change how responses are framed, help ChatGPT focus on specific areas and prompt the AI to avoid sensitive topics.
OpenAI said the platform allows individuals to keep all their medical information in one place, and that prompt responses are informed by their health information and context.
"You can now securely connect medical records and wellness apps – like Apple Health, Function, and MyFitnessPal – so ChatGPT can help you understand recent test results, prepare for appointments with your doctor, get advice on how to approach your diet and workout routine, or understand the tradeoffs of different insurance options based on your healthcare patterns," the company said.
According to OpenAI, ChatGPT Health users can remove access to their medical records at any time in the "Apps" section of Settings.
The company affirmed that the offering is not intended for diagnosis or treatment, but rather to help one navigate everyday questions, understand patterns, and feel more informed and prepared for medical conversations with healthcare professionals.
Conversations within ChatGPT Health are not used to help OpenAI train its foundation models, enhancing privacy protection, the company said.
ChatGPT Health initially will be available to a small group of early users to refine the experience, including users with ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus and Pro plans outside the European Economic Area, Switzerland and the UK.
Select apps and medical record integrations are available in the U.S. only, and OpenAI said it plans to expand access to all users on the web and iOS in the coming weeks.
THE LARGER TREND
In August, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman introduced the company's latest version of its advanced AI chatbot, GPT-5, while touting that the conversational tool should be used to help individuals understand their healthcare and make decisions along their journey.
In a recent HIMSSCast episode, Dr. Doug Fridsma, former ONC chief science officer and current CMIO at Health Universe, discussed whether GPT-5 should be HIPAA-compliant and/or FDA-regulated.
"People don't realize that once they take their medical information and they voluntarily upload it to ChatGPT, the company can do anything they want with that information as long as it follows their terms of service that are listed in the click-through button that we all use," Fridsma said.
According to a recent report published by The Mesothelioma Center, more than 52% of Americans turn to ChatGPT when experiencing concerning medical symptoms.
The report highlighted that nearly one in three Americans said they would skip or delay seeing a doctor if an AI tool characterizes their symptoms as low risk.
Half of the respondents who used ChatGPT for symptom checking said the tool "led to a diagnosis," raising concerns about overconfidence in AI-generated assessments among physicians.
