What You Should Know:
– Welldoc, a leader in AI-driven cardiometabolic care, has formed a strategic partnership with secure identity company CLEAR to integrate the CLEAR1 identity verification platform into the Welldoc App by Q1 2026.
– As an early adopter of the CMS Health Tech Ecosystem initiative, Welldoc is using this trusted identity layer to allow patients to seamlessly authenticate and aggregate fragmented medical records from multiple sources.
– The integration aims to remove friction for patients managing chronic conditions like diabetes and obesity while ensuring the robust data security required for next-generation AI healthcare tools.
Identity as Infrastructure: Welldoc and CLEAR Build the ‘Fast Lane’ for Health Data Aggregation
For the past decade, the promise of digital health has been stifled by a persistent, unglamorous bottleneck: identity verification. While AI algorithms have become increasingly sophisticated, the simple act of a patient securely accessing and sharing their own medical records across disparate systems remains a fragmented, password-heavy nightmare.
Welldoc, an AI-driven cardiometabolic care provider with 11 FDA clearances, is moving to solve this infrastructural flaw. The company announced today a strategic partnership with CLEAR, the secure identity platform best known for expediting airport security, to integrate CLEAR1 into its digital health ecosystem.
This collaboration is not merely about faster logins; it is a foundational move to operationalize the vision of the CMS Health Tech Ecosystem, enabling the seamless flow of data required to treat complex chronic conditions like diabetes and obesity.
The CMS Mandate: Accessibility Meets Trust
Welldoc’s involvement as an early adopter in the CMS Health Tech Ecosystem initiative provides the regulatory and strategic context for this deal. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has been pushing for a modernized health system where patient data travels with the patient—a goal that requires a rigorous, interoperable identity standard.
By embedding CLEAR1, Welldoc is establishing a “trusted identity layer.” This allows the app to verify a user’s identity with high confidence, unlocking the ability to pull sensitive medical records and health data directly into the Welldoc interface without repetitive, manual authentication hurdles.
“True patient-centered care requires both trust and accessibility,” said Kevin McRaith, CEO and President of Welldoc. “A secure and frictionless identity layer is essential. Our partnership with CLEAR ensures that the personalized, evidence-based solutions we deliver are accessed confidently and responsibly.”
Fueling the AI Engine with Aggregated Data
The technical significance of this partnership lies in data aggregation. Welldoc’s platform is built on a purpose-built AI engine that delivers personalized coaching for cardiometabolic conditions. However, AI is only as good as the data it is fed.
Currently, patient data is siloed across Electronic Health Records (EHRs), wearable devices, and pharmacy benefits managers. By using CLEAR to authenticate the user, Welldoc can securely aggregate this fragmented data from over 400 device and data sources.
This influx of verified, comprehensive data powers Welldoc’s AI to:
- Identify Trends: Help patients visualize the link between their lifestyle, medications, and biological markers.
- Optimize Interventions: Provide clinicians with a holistic view of the patient, rather than a snapshot, enabling more precise care adjustments.
- Improve Outcomes: Drive better management of complex comorbidities like hypertension, heart failure, and chronic kidney disease (CKD).
‘Killing the Clipboard’
For David Bardan, General Manager and Head of Healthcare at CLEAR, the partnership represents a tangible step toward eliminating the administrative friction that plagues the patient experience—often metaphorically referred to as “the clipboard.”
“Together, we’re giving individuals a simple, trusted way to verify their identity and access the tools that support their wellbeing, helping to ‘kill the clipboard’ and realize CMS’s vision for a modern health ecosystem,” Bardan noted.
Deployment Timeline
The CLEAR1 integration is expected to go live within the Welldoc App in Q1 2026. This timeline gives health plans and self-insured employers—key Welldoc customers—time to prepare for a more interconnected, data-rich member experience.
