Make Health Tech Great Again

I’m in vehement disagreement with the current administration, but they managed to get something seemingly useful off the ground.

During a White House “Make Health Tech Great Again” event hosted with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Administration secured commitments from major healthcare and information technology firms – including Amazon, Anthropic, Apple, Google, and OpenAI – to begin laying the foundation for a next-generation digital health ecosystem that will improve patient outcomes, reduce provider burden, and drive value.

More than 60 companies pledged to work collaboratively to deliver results for the American people in the first quarter of 2026.

Twenty-one networks pledged to meet the CMS Interoperability Framework criteria to become CMS Aligned Networks. Eleven health systems or providers committed to participate and support patient use, and seven EHRs committed to facilitate data exchange and help “kill the clipboard.”

In addition, 30 companies pledged to promote real health outcomes with technology over the coming months. The new tools will use secure digital identity credentials to obtain medical records from CMS Aligned Networks that meet the CMS data sharing criteria. The apps will assist in the delivery of key services to beneficiaries including:

• Diabetes and obesity management (my personal area of interest);
• The use of conversational AI assistants to help patients check symptoms, navigate care options, and schedule appointments, among other tasks;
• Tools to “kill the clipboard” by replacing paper intake forms with seamless digital check-in methods; and more.

There’s a series of players in this ecosystem that I’ve collected below as way to access a comprehensive list of organizations dedicated to delivering on the key services above

The criteria for being included in the above list were as follows:

Health Tech Ecosystem Categories

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is aligning private-sector innovation with a set of clearly defined categories to create a modern, patient-centered healthcare system. The goal is to establish a connected ecosystem where patients, providers, apps, and payers can securely and reliably share health data at scale.

I. CMS Aligned Networks

Objective: Allow different health data sources, including health information networks and exchanges, to align with CMS goals for interoperability.

Criteria:

• Implement CMS Interoperability Framework criteria, including clinical and claims data.
• Respond to requests from patients, providers, and payers following the CMS Interoperability Framework.
• Networks will self-attest to these criteria and agree to be reviewed if needed.

II. EHR & Providers

Objective: Ensure that providers and EHRs actively participate in CMS Aligned Networks by making complete, timely patient data available.

EHRs Must:

• Make electronic medical information accessible to CMS Aligned Networks, including structured data (via FHIR) and unstructured clinical documents (e.g., PDFs).
• Provide appointment and encounter notifications (outpatient, telehealth, etc.) to subscribers within 24 hours.

Providers Must:

• Join CMS Aligned Networks to ensure electronic medical information is available and discoverable.
• Support patient-centered workflows that enable real-time access to electronic medical information.
• Make electronic medical information accessible, including structured and unstructured data as indicated in USCDI v3 or later.

III. Payers

Objective: Join or create a CMS Aligned Network and provide claims data upon request.

Criteria:

• Make claims data accessible to CMS Aligned Networks, aligning with Patient and Provider Access API standards.
• Respond to requests from patients, providers, and other payers.
• Implement CMS Interoperability Framework criteria, including clinical data where appropriate.

IV. Patient Facing Apps

Objective: Support a voluntary, standards-based ecosystem of technology partners to deliver immediate value to patients through secure, user-centered, and connected tools.

General Criteria for all Apps:

• Support data exchange with patient identity verification (e.g., passkeys).
• Enable Medicare program connectivity for Medicare beneficiaries.
• Participate in CMS review, including disclosing data sources and a basic security checklist.
• Offer trial access for Medicare patients if the app charges a fee.
• Be consistent with HIPAA Rules when provided by a HIPAA covered entity or business associate.

Use Case 1: Kill the Clipboard

Objective: Eliminate manual check-in forms and fragmented data collection by enabling patients to share their verified health and identity information directly with providers.

App Criteria:

• Use digital credentials generated through a CMS-approved service.
• Enable patients to transmit information via FHIR (e.g., QR code, Smart Health Card) at check-in.
• Allow patients to retrieve a summary of their visit from the provider in FHIR format.

EHR Criteria:

• Accept patient health data from the app at check-in via FHIR.
• Provide patients with the ability to retrieve a visit record in FHIR format.
• Should not require separate portal credentials if the patient's identity is verified through a CMS-approved service.

Use Case 2: Conversational AI Assistants

Objective: Use AI-powered assistants to deliver personalized, context-aware guidance by securely accessing and interpreting medical history in real time.

App Criteria:

• Provide personalized, AI-driven support for symptom checking, care planning, and chronic disease support.
• Must connect to a CMS Aligned Network directly or via a personal health record app.
• Responses must clearly indicate when they are AI-generated and include appropriate disclaimers.
• Will distinguish educational content from clinical guidance and guide patients to a health professional when needed.

Use Case 3: Diabetes & Obesity Prevention and Management

Objective: Provide tailored, data-driven support to individuals at risk for or living with diabetes and obesity, powered by direct access to clinical data.

App Criteria:

• Must connect to a CMS Aligned Network.
• Use the clinical record to generate personalized coaching, reminders, and risk alerts.
• Adapt support for both prevention and active management (medication, labs, nutrition, etc.).
• Provide appropriate resources for pre-Diabetic patients.
• Be consistent with HIPAA Rules.