BOSTON–athenahealth has launched a new technology solution that allows patients to securely connect their electronic health records to Anthropic’s Claude artificial intelligence assistant, enabling them to ask questions about their medical information and receive personalized responses based on their clinical data.
The new service, called athenaPatient MCP, allows patients to access and better understand information such as laboratory results, medications, medical conditions, immunizations and treatment plans through conversations with Claude.
The launch comes as more Americans turn to generative AI tools for help understanding health-related information. According to an August 2026 Pew Research Center survey cited by the company, 34% of U.S. adults have used AI assistants for health-related purposes, including researching symptoms and interpreting medical diagnoses.
athenaPatient MCP uses the Model Context Protocol (MCP), a technology that enables AI systems to securely retrieve structured information from authorized sources.
Through the integration, Claude can access a patient’s electronic health records stored within athenahealth’s system after the patient authorizes the connection and signs in using their athenahealth credentials.
Beginning November 2, Claude Pro and Max subscribers in the United States can activate the athenaPatient MCP connector through their Claude settings.
Once connected, patients can ask Claude questions about their health using everyday language. The AI assistant can reference information from their medical records, including laboratory results, vital signs, prescriptions, allergies, diagnoses, immunizations, diagnostic reports, medical procedures, previous appointments and care plans.
The system is designed to provide responses based on a patient’s actual medical history rather than relying solely on general medical information.
Patients retain control over the connection and can select which information to share with Claude. They can also revoke access at any time, according to athenahealth.
“The launch of athenaPatient MCP is an important milestone in responsibly integrating AI into the patient experience,” said Paul Brient, chief product and operations officer at athenahealth. “At its core, this is about helping patients get value from their own healthcare data. Anthropic has been a true innovator in advancing AI that is both powerful and responsible, and we are excited to work with them to leverage AI to meaningfully reduce complexity and help patients play a more active role in their care.”
The integration reflects growing interest among healthcare technology companies in using generative AI to help patients navigate complex medical information and prepare for discussions with healthcare professionals.
For example, patients could use Claude to better understand an unfamiliar laboratory result, review medication information or develop questions to discuss during an upcoming medical appointment.
“Patients often have questions about their health records between visits, from what a lab result means to what to ask at their next appointment,” said Syed Mohiuddin, head of healthcare at Anthropic. “athenahealth is giving patients a way to bring their own records into Claude when they choose to, so they can explore those questions and feel more confident and prepared in conversations with their care team.”
The companies said the integration is intended to help patients better understand their medical information and participate more actively in decisions about their care.
athenahealth indicated that the Claude integration represents an initial step in its broader efforts to incorporate AI technology into the patient experience, with a focus on improving access to health information and supporting communication between patients and their healthcare providers.
