The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is leveraging technology to modernize how Americans interact with the health care system, launching a new Health Technology Ecosystem initiative that aims to “kill the clipboard” and deliver personalized care.
Speaking on Thursday at AFCEA Bethesda’s Health IT Summit held in Washington, Amy Gleason, acting administrator of the U.S. DOGE Service and strategic advisor to CMS, shared details on the Health Technology Ecosystem, which the agency unveiled in July.
Gleason explained that the initiative invites companies to voluntarily join in CMS’s vision to bridge the gap between the modern digital experiences consumers enjoy in daily life and the outdated systems they face in health care.
“It’s really all about empowering the beneficiary to have modern tech tools that they can use anywhere in the world, 24/7, and help them get not just clinical care, but support as well,” Gleason said.
Kill the Clipboard
A main use case of the initiative is to “kill the clipboard,” eliminating the repetitive paper forms that patients are asked to fill out during doctor visits.
Just as a passenger would scan a boarding pass on their smartphone at the airport, Gleason said that CMS is hoping patients can use their smartphone to scan a QR code at the doctor’s office to securely share their medical records.
“My daughter takes 21 medications, and she has to try to write them all out every single time. She hates that, so I’m trying to kill the clipboard and ask the facts and get rid of all of that,” Gleason explained.
Gleason said that the agency is calling these “CMS-aligned networks,” or networks that are agreeing to be a part of this mission “to help beneficiaries safely get their data.” She noted that the networks are “using patient consent to decide who gets to share their data,” as well as transparency, “so they know where that data is going.”
Leveraging AI
Gleason said that another use case for the initiative is to utilize “secure, conversational AI tools to protect patients’ data, but also give them tools to help them manage their care and get advice and help along the way.”
In addition to leveraging conversational AI tools, CMS is also looking for innovative AI tools to help it with fraud detection.
Gleason said CMS is holding the Crushing Fraud Chili Cook-Off Competition, a competition seeking AI and machine learning solutions to detect anomalies and trends in Medicare claims data that can be translated into novel indicators of fraud.
While no actual chili is involved, interested parties can apply to join the tech challenge by Sept. 19.
“We’re really looking for innovative ways to use AI and machine learning to uncover fraud and transparency, ways that also have human oversight,” Gleason said. “It’s a two-phased approach; you can look it up online, but the applications are due Sept. 19. So, that’s a way we’re also partnering with others in the network to try to get some of these goals accomplished.”
For more information on the Chili Cook-Off, as well as to register and upload submissions, visit the Chili Cook-Off posting.