HHS Convenes Private Sector Health and Tech Companies to Advance Interoperability and Patient Access to Data

Major healthcare delivery providers and technology developers including Amazon, Apple, Google and OpenAI have pledged support for the CMS Health Tech Ecosystem Initiative, a voluntary effort to enhance interoperability and patient access to data.

During a July 30 White House event co-hosted with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 21 networks pledged to meet the new CMS Interoperability Framework criteria to become CMS Aligned Networks; and more than 60 companies pledged to collaborate to develop data-driven personalized tools by the first quarter of 2026, including many HIMSS corporate and organizational affiliate members.

Participating networks must facilitate patient access to patient data such as clinical data, claims information and prior authorizations via an app of the patient’s choice that meets CMS requirements. Participating EHR products and providers must give participating networks access to structured and unstructured data.

HIMSS commends the CMS for its collaborative efforts with the health industry to enhance interoperability and improve access to health information through the new interoperability pledge.

“We fully support building upon the common standards, rules, and services developed by the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy and the Office of the National Coordinator,” said HIMSS President & CEO Hal Wolf. “The framework will empower constituents to easily find, store, share and use electronic health information in ways that are secure, timely and reliable. This is crucial for improving individual patient care and population health outcomes.”

HIMSS encourages the Department of Health and Human Services to prioritize investments in digital health infrastructure and to implement identity management strategies. These investments are essential for supporting high-quality care delivery, advancing public health initiatives and driving medical research.

The CMS Health Tech Ecosystem Initiative builds upon responses to the May 2025 Digital Health Technology Ecosystem Request for Information issued by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. HIMSS delivered comments in response to that RFI, advocating for HHS to remove technical barriers and economic disincentives to interoperability and information access and for CMS and ASTP/ONC to adopt policies that would make health information exchange and access economically self-sustaining.

The CMS Interoperability Framework establishes voluntary criteria for data exchange that will be accessible for all network types: health information networks and exchanges, electronic health records and tech platforms. This includes entities not required to meet Promoting Interoperability Program requirements (healthcare providers) and ASTP certification program requirements.

Detailed in the CMS Health Tech Ecosystem categories, the CMS Interoperability Framework criteria will require the voluntary “CMS-Aligned Networks” to facilitate patient access to their clinical, claims, prior authorization and explanation of benefits data using the applications of their choice, amongst other requirements designed to secure more seamless and secure access to health data.

In addition, EHRs produced by participating entities will be required to make structured data (via FHIR) and unstructured clinical documents (e.g., PDFs, JPGs, TIFs) and appointment and encounter notifications available to CMS-Aligned Networks within 24 hours. Participating providers also have to utilize governance that allows access of structured data and unstructured clinical documents to CMS-Aligned Networks.

Participating payers will be asked to implement CMS Interoperability Framework criteria and make claims data accessible to CMS Aligned Networks using Patient and Provider Access API standards. App developers would be required to meet several requirements related to data exchange and CMS review and meet one of the listed use cases.

Department of Government Efficiency acting Administrator Amy Gleason, who is serving as the project lead in collaboration with CMS, issued a video statement discussing the CMS Interoperability Framework in conjunction with the announcement.



In addition, 30 companies pledged to help develop secure digital identity credentials for apps to obtain medical records from CMS Aligned Networks that meet the CMS data sharing criteria.

Apps meeting the data sharing criteria can help patients through:

  • Diabetes and obesity management
  • The use of conversational AI assistants to help patients check symptoms, navigate care options, schedule appointments and complete administrative tasks
  • Tools to replace paper intake forms with seamless digital check-in methods


The White House event included updates on previously announced initiatives to improve interoperability and enhance patient experience, including:

  • Improving the current CMS Plan Finder to help Medicare beneficiaries select plans that have their preferred providers and hospitals in network while protecting their privacy and keeping their data secure in compliance with HIPAA requirements.
  • CMS confirmed that they have started work on developing a Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR)-based Application Programming Interface (API) to enable apps to find provider networks, participants and relevant endpoints, The API is scheduled to be launched before the end of 2025.
  • CMS confirmed they are developing a new digital identity solution for beneficiaries to access Medicare.gov.
  • CMS is working to optimize Blue Button 2.0 to reduce the time between when claims are received and when they become accessible through Blue Button,
  • CMS indicated the digital identity solution and National Provider Director validation into the CMS Data at the Point of Care project.

HIMSS champions seamless, secure and comprehensive data access with a shared goal for patients, caregivers and healthcare providers to have the right health information readily available to them when they need it, at the point of decision.

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