STAT+: Medicare plots ambitious tech agenda guided by former Palantir, Main Street Health executives
Medicare wants a tech upgrade to address difficulties patients face in accessing care, and stimulate innovations across industry.
Two agencies in the federal health department are plotting what officials say will be an ambitious tech modernization push to promote better care for people on Medicare and beyond. And they’ve tapped some veteran technology entrepreneurs to lead the charge.
Officials have floated lofty examples of what may come in the future, like artificial intelligence tools to advise patients on their health conditions and real-time information to guide clinicians in decision-making. But before they do anything, they have some questions.
In a sign of their intentions, the health department’s Medicare agency and its health IT regulator earlier this month issued a broad request for information (RFI) aimed at patients, providers, payers, and tech companies. The dozens of questions cover topics like patient experiences with technology in health care, promoting digital health innovation to Medicare enrollees, value-based care, and enforcement of federal health data sharing rules.
