Froedtert ThedaCare, along with b.well Connected Health and Epic, are sharing a milestone in the journey to building a smarter, more secure and personalized health care experience for patients and families. Recently, the partners successfully demonstrated core patient-facing capabilities, showing how individuals will be able to use Froedtert ThedaCare’s Ripple app to generate a QR code to share their health information with care teams at the point of care. Patient availability is planned for later this year.
This work stems from a July 2025 White House and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announcement launching the Health Tech Ecosystem initiative, which challenges public and private sector organizations to advance patient centered digital health infrastructure.
Froedtert ThedaCare was among more than 60 organizations that pledged to work collaboratively to build a next generation digital health ecosystem with the vision to improve patient outcomes, reduce provider burden and drive value.
“At Froedtert ThedaCare, our Vision is to be the trusted partner with our patients, transforming health care for everyone, every day,” said Brian Sterns, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Froedtert ThedaCare. “Our organization is dedicated to reinventing new and innovative ways to improve health and create a seamless experience for those we serve. Through the partnerships with b.well and Epic, we can now enhance access to personalized tools so patients have the information and resources they need to make better health decisions.”
Using b.well’s Share My Records feature within Ripple by ThedaCare, the organization’s patient-facing app, patients will be able to access a simple and secure method to share their health information with providers, helping eliminate the need for manual forms or portals. This capability, expected to become available to patients later this year, enables digital sharing via a secure QR code or SMART Health Link, giving patients time-limited control over their data. The technology can also help support point-of-care continuity by delivering essential records like conditions, medications and allergies.
“By enabling patients to bring their own data into clinical workflows, Froedtert ThedaCare is improving intake efficiency, reducing administrative burden and giving providers a more complete picture of patient history at the start of every encounter,” said Kristen Valdes, CEO of b.well Connected Health. “Patients will soon be able to access their full health history and use it in the moments that matter most, at the point of care. Froedtert ThedaCare is demonstrating what it means to move from interoperability in theory to interoperability in practice.”
Staff members at Froedtert ThedaCare will be able to scan a QR code in Epic to import a summary of the patient’s health data directly into the clinical workflow at the point of care. Patients will be able to share data from any health care app that supports SMART Health Link.
“Froedtert ThedaCare is a leader in improving patient experience,” said Seth Howard, Executive Vice President of Research and Development, Epic. “Now, patients will benefit from the ability to share their health records via QR code directly with their care team, a capability that reflects our shared commitment to the CMS Health Tech Ecosystem and our ongoing work to make care simpler for patients and providers alike.”
This capability is planned for availability later this year as part of Epic’s standard functionality.
This QR code–based approach is designed for patient‑directed access, including identity verification and secure data exchange using SMART on FHIR – widely adopted digital health standards that allow patients to safely share their health information under their direction.
“Our milestone builds on Froedtert ThedaCare’s longstanding leadership in patient‑centered digital innovation and reflects work that sits at the forefront of the organization’s digital strategy,” said Sterns. “Today, patients already rely on these capabilities to schedule care, complete pre‑visit check‑in, communicate with care teams, access their health information and securely share records as part of their care journey. This capability extends that strong foundation – advancing Froedtert ThedaCare’s commitment to giving patients greater access, transparency and control over their health information while continuing to make care simpler and easier to navigate.” The partners will continue advancing integration, workflow alignment and governance to support broader patient access and future scalability across care settings.
