As part of the Health Tech Ecosystem launched by CMS last year, a new slate of health tech tools has been released to aid in data interoperability and patient access to health information. 

To meet the stated goals of ending the paper forms that patients are required to complete prior to provider encounters and implementing AI solutions to help patients guide their care, over 700 healthcare and tech companies have pledged to create tools to overcome the data-sharing challenges that are so pervasive in healthcare.

Some outcomes from the initiative include:

• In a partnership with b.well Connected Health, Humana now has the ability to let its users collect their information across providers and plans, and the insurer can also access that information.
• EHR vendor eClinicalWorks has created a workflow that allows patient health records to be incorporated into their EHR by scanning a QR code.
• Identity verification services such as ID.me, Clear and Login.gov are now available for Medicare beneficiaries to use with their Medicare accounts, decreasing fraud and identity theft.
• CMS is working on Medicare caregiver accounts to help family members and caregivers of Medicare beneficiaries to manage their care.

An app library has been created by CMS that provides access to agency-vetted apps for beneficiaries. These apps include tools that can be used to collect health records and manage chronic conditions.