Azar Laments Own Health Records Woes Ahead of Data Swap Rule

Access to health data has been a consistent struggle—even for HHS Secretary Alex Azar, who’s having trouble getting his own records.

“This isn’t just a conceptual challenge,” Azar said Tuesday during his keynote address at AcademyHealth’s Health Datapalooza.

“It can also be a source of tremendous frustration for patients themselves—no matter how well-versed these patients may be in health policy,” he said. “It’s even been a source of frustration for me, as a patient—quite recently, in fact.

“Earlier this year, I spent hours trying unsuccessfully to get access to my health records and, to this date, still haven’t had my ...