It's about to get a lot easier for patients in the U.S. to access their own medical records. Health-care software vendor Epic Systems on Thursday announced that individuals will be able to securely release their health data to different apps they choose to use, meaning they will have more direct control over their medical information than ever before. For instance, if patients are using a health coaching app or an app that reminds them to take their medicine, they can choose to import their records directly into those platforms. It launched in December, and aims to iron out both the legal and technical requirements for sharing patients' data at scale. If one person uses Verizon as their phone carrier, a second person uses AT&T and a third person uses T-Mobile, they are all still able to call and text one another.

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Persons: hasn't, TEFCA, Micky Tripathi, Tripathi Organizations: Systems, U.S . Department of Health, Human Services, HHS, Verizon, Mobile, CNBC Locations: U.S