OpenAI began rolling out a dedicated health feature to all adult users in the United States on Wednesday, allowing ChatGPT to securely connect to Apple Health data and electronic medical records in an effort to give users more personalized, context-aware answers to health-related questions.
The feature, called Health in ChatGPT, is now available to logged-in users 18 and older across web and iOS platforms, spanning all of the company’s subscription tiers, including Free, Go, Plus and Pro. Users can access the tool by opening Health from the sidebar within the main ChatGPT interface.
What the feature does
Health in ChatGPT allows users to securely link data from Apple Health, along with medical records from supported healthcare systems including Epic and Oracle Health, directly into their conversations with the chatbot. According to OpenAI, the feature can help users compare lab test results against prior readings, track how sleep and activity patterns change over time, monitor medication histories, and prepare for upcoming medical appointments.
“Health in ChatGPT now lets eligible U.S. users securely connect medical records and Apple Health to get more personalized insights and better understand their health,” OpenAI said in a blog post announcing the launch. On social media, the company reiterated the rollout in similar terms, posting, “Health in ChatGPT is starting to roll out to U.S. users. You can securely connect Apple Health and supported medical records to understand your information in context, track what has changed, and have more informed conversations.”
Electronic health record access is powered through a partnership with b.well, a company that aggregates data from roughly 2.2 million U.S. healthcare providers, allowing users to pull in information from a broad range of hospital and clinic systems rather than being limited to a single provider’s patient portal.
Why OpenAI built it this way
OpenAI said the decision to weave health context directly into the main chat interface, rather than isolating it to a separate tool entirely, stemmed from user behavior data gathered during testing. The company found that more than 70% of health-related queries happened organically within the course of everyday conversations, such as a user checking for food allergies while planning a meal, rather than through a dedicated, standalone health tab. OpenAI said the feature nonetheless appears within ChatGPT’s sidebar as its own space with separate chat history and “memories,” giving users the ability to manage their connected health context distinctly from other conversations.
OpenAI emphasized that more than 300 million people use ChatGPT to ask health-related questions on a weekly basis, but said that the underlying context behind those questions is often scattered across separate patient portals, medical records, fitness apps and wearable devices, making it difficult for users to see a complete picture of their health without manually piecing information together themselves.
The models behind the feature
The health feature is powered by two of OpenAI’s most recent models: GPT-5.5 Instant, available to users on the free tier, and GPT-5.6 Sol, offered to paid subscribers. OpenAI said GPT-5.5 Instant has shown meaningful improvement in recognizing when a user’s symptoms may warrant urgent medical attention, asking relevant follow-up questions, and explaining uncertainty in its responses. The company said that model performed at a level comparable to its more advanced “Thinking” models on its most challenging internal health evaluations at the time those evaluations were conducted. GPT-5.6 Sol, meanwhile, is described by OpenAI as its strongest model yet for health-related conversations.
OpenAI said it developed the feature in collaboration with more than 260 physicians practicing across 60 countries and dozens of medical specialties, using their input to help benchmark model performance against real-world clinical scenarios. The company has stressed that the tool is intended to help users feel more informed navigating everyday health questions rather than to serve as a diagnostic service or replacement for professional medical care.
Privacy safeguards
To address privacy concerns tied to handling sensitive medical data, OpenAI said it has implemented several layered safeguards, including strict non-training policies. According to the company, connected medical records, Apple Health data and any chat conversations that draw on that information will not be used to train OpenAI’s foundation models or to inform advertising. By default, the company said, ChatGPT will ask for a user’s permission before referencing connected medical records to generate a given response, giving users ongoing control over when and how their health data is used within the app.
A relaunch, not a first attempt
Wednesday’s broad rollout marks a relaunch of a feature OpenAI first piloted in a more limited form in January 2026. That earlier test period, according to reporting from 9to5Mac, produced what the outlet described as “lackluster results,” prompting OpenAI to spend the following months rebuilding the feature based on user feedback and improvements made to its underlying models since the start of the year. This week’s launch significantly expands access beyond that initial group of testers to include all eligible adult users across the United States.
Context around ongoing scrutiny
The launch comes as OpenAI faces at least one lawsuit related to health-related use of its chatbot. According to reporting, the company was sued by Scott Winters, a 55-year-old former pastor from Florida, who alleged that ChatGPT provided him with inaccurate health advice that contributed to a delay in receiving treatment for a life-threatening pulmonary embolism. OpenAI has not issued a specific public statement addressing that lawsuit in connection with this week’s Health feature launch, and the company continues to describe the tool as intended for informational purposes rather than as a substitute for professional medical evaluation and care.
With Health in ChatGPT now available broadly across the United States, OpenAI is likely to continue refining the feature based on user feedback, following the same pattern that shaped its return after January’s limited pilot. The company has not indicated a timeline for expanding the feature to international markets or additional platforms, noting specifically that Health is not yet available within Codex, OpenAI’s coding-focused product line. For now, the rollout represents one of OpenAI’s most significant pushes yet into integrating personal health data directly into everyday consumer AI conversations, a move likely to draw continued attention from both users and health care privacy advocates in the weeks ahead.
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