Exploring the Past, Future of SMART Health Cards, Patient Data Access

It’s been a banner year for patient data access, with innovations like SMART Health Cards from the Vaccine Credential Initiative (VCI) and the Commons Project putting information like COVID-19 test results and proof of vaccination directly into patients’ hands.

These digital vaccine credentialing tools are used by countless healthcare organizations and EHR vendors, five nationwide pharmacies, and nine states plus Puerto Rico, granting patients across the country—and around the globe—the ability to view their COVID-19 vaccine records and prove vaccination where applicable.

Candidly, that was a surprising journey for JP Pollack, co-founder and chief architect of the Commons Project and one of the masterminds behind VCI. Pollack and his colleagues initially envisioned a digital vaccine card that they’d be able to develop by tapping into state and federal public health data infrastructure.