A new Medicare app library, patient identity verification tools, and patient facing apps designed to reduce administrative burden and improve chronic disease management took center stage April 9 at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) “First Wave Launch” event.

The event highlighted the continuing work of the CMS HealthTech Ecosystem, a voluntary collaborative initiative with over 700 companies and healthcare stakeholders participating. The ecosystem is an accelerator designed to overcome information access issues and seamlessly get health information into the hands of patients and their providers.

As a longtime advocate for enhanced interoperability and patients having secure access to their own data, HIMSS is closely following and assessing developments from the CMS Health Tech Ecosystem Initiative. Collaboration and investment can support high-quality care delivery, advance public health initiatives and medical research, and aid patients in making informed decisions about their health and wellness. HIMSS continues to encourage CMS to accelerate appropriate information access for patients and providers to collaborate on their care while ensuring the security and privacy of their information.

The launch event, held at the US Department of Health and Human Services headquarters in Washington, D..C., announced the release of a new Medicare App Library, patient identity verification advances using CLEAR backed interfaces, and a FHIR-based National Provider Directory.

CMS also showcased over 50 HealthTech Ecosystem partners who demonstrated a variety of applications that connect to CMS Aligned Networks using the CMS Interoperability Framework governance rules. The demonstrated applications consolidated a patient’s record into a single source of truth from all available personal health records, generated QR codes with all their data normally required during check in processes, and provided chronic disease management guidance using artificial intelligence.

“For too long, Americans have navigated a health system that lags behind the technology they use everywhere else,” said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “Today, CMS is bringing healthcare into the modern era—aligning innovators to deliver solutions that make care easier, more connected, and more personalized.”

Learn more about the CMS HealthTech Ecosystem.