To speed technology modernization efforts, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has established an Office of Health Technology and Products (OHTP) to provide enterprise leadership and oversight for CMS healthcare technology and digital products.

A document published in the Federal Register said the OHTP will work in close coordination with the CMS Chief Information Officer (CIO) and subject to CIO-led enterprise IT governance, cybersecurity, enterprise architecture, and capital planning and investment control responsibilities, as well as CIO-led digital service delivery, customer experience, and public digital experience responsibilities under applicable law.

The new office will oversee the design, development, delivery, and operation of CMS digital products and platforms, including beneficiary-, provider-, and state-facing systems.

Another area OHTP will focus on is providing stewardship of identity, access, and trust services, including modern authentication and identity management capabilities that protect beneficiaries and enable secure access to CMS programs and services.

The Office will lead enterprise strategy and implementation of artificial intelligence across CMS digital products and platforms, and advises the CMS Administrator and senior leadership on AI opportunities, risks, and governance, in coordination with the CIO as required under statutory responsibilities.

A Standards & Interoperability Group will lead CMS' enterprise interoperability strategy, implementation direction, policy development, and standards advancement to enable secure, scalable, and user-centered health data exchange. One goal is to drive the transition toward modern data exchange by advancing Application Programming Interface (API)-based interoperability while supporting and evolving existing administrative transaction standards.

A Product Development Group will serve as OHTP’s principal product delivery organization, responsible for the end-to-end design, development, delivery, operation, and continuous improvement of the CMS portfolio of digital products and platforms—spanning enterprise and internal-facing core products and beneficiary-, provider-, state-, and public-facing external products.