Digital identity specialist ID.me is expanding its presence in the healthcare sector through a new partnership with patient records provider Flexpa, announced this week. The collaboration will integrate ID.me’s digital identity wallet to give Americans a secure, interoperable way to access and share their medical records online, eliminating repetitive identity verification processes that have long frustrated patients and healthcare providers.
Under the partnership, patients will verify their identity once through ID.me to receive a trusted credential that can be used to log in across any platform accepting ID.me authentication. This approach enables health data to be shared seamlessly and with explicit user consent, addressing a persistent challenge in healthcare interoperability.
The partnership underscores the growing role of reusable digital IDs in streamlining healthcare workflows. By using ID.me’s verified credentials, Flexpa aims to eliminate cumbersome identity checks each time a patient attempts to retrieve or share medical records. The solution promises to improve user experience – reducing forgotten passwords and redundant form-filling – while simultaneously reducing fraud and data errors that plague the healthcare system.
“Trust is the foundation of interoperability,” said ID.me founder and CEO Blake Hall in the partnership announcement. “By pairing ID.me’s digital identity network with Flexpa’s APIs, we’re creating a secure and seamless way for patients to take control of their records while protecting everyone against the surge of AI-driven fraud.”
Flexpa’s platform connects to multiple patient data networks under the federal TEFCA framework for health information exchange. With ID.me integration, patients can prove their identity once and then consent to share records via reusable credentials such as QR codes or digital ID tokens, eliminating the need to repeatedly upload driver’s licenses or answer knowledge-based authentication questions.
The companies highlighted that 78 million ID.me users are already verified to NIST’s high assurance standards (IAL2/AAL2)—credentials recognized by the federal government for secure user authentication. Overall, ID.me’s user base has grown to over 150 million Americans, driven by adoption across 20 federal agencies, 45 states, and hundreds of businesses. The company has a significant presence in government services, with the Department of Veterans Affairs mandating ID.me or Login.gov for online account access.
The partnership arrives as the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) prepares to launch an Interoperability and Patient Access rule later this year. The ID.me-Flexpa solution is designed to align with CMS requirements, with Flexpa having been selected as an Early Adopter for the CMS Aligned Network initiative.
For ID.me, healthcare represents a natural expansion. The company recently raised $340 million to expand its digital ID services and combat AI-driven fraud. During the pandemic, ID.me played a critical role in government benefit distribution, reportedly preventing $270 billion in unemployment fraud across seven states. The company’s proven track record in fraud prevention and identity verification positions it well to address similar challenges in healthcare.
By moving into health records management, ID.me is positioning its digital ID wallet as a universal credential for sensitive personal data across multiple sectors. The company’s expansion mirrors a broader industry trend toward unified digital identity solutions that work seamlessly across government, healthcare, and private sector services.
Privacy and security remain central to the partnership’s design. ID.me emphasizes that users maintain complete control over when and with whom their health information is shared. Neither ID.me nor Flexpa will store medical data, and the solution employs robust encryption and compliance measures to protect patient information.
As more healthcare providers embrace “verify once, use anywhere” identity models, the administrative burden on patients may finally decrease. Digital identity integration in healthcare could transform record management from a paperwork-intensive ordeal into a streamlined smartphone interaction—potentially making the traditional clipboard a relic of the past.
The healthcare sector has been slower than other industries to adopt digital identity solutions, but partnerships like ID.me and Flexpa signal accelerating momentum. With regulatory support from CMS and growing recognition of digital ID’s potential to reduce fraud and improve patient experience, 2025 may mark a turning point for identity technology in American healthcare.
Sources: PR Newswire, Flexpa, Mobile ID World
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
