Samwise Healthcare IT Newsletter
Friday, May 15, 2026
CMS Launches Electronic Prior Authorization Pledge with Epic, Oracle, and Major Health Systems
Twenty-nine healthcare organizations — including Cleveland Clinic, Providence, Ochsner Health, Epic, Oracle Health, athenahealth, and CommonWell Health Alliance — joined CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz on Wednesday at the Axios Future of Health Summit to sign a cross-sector electronic prior authorization pledge. Participants committed to eliminating manual fax-based workflows, integrating FHIR and NCPDP standards across their systems, and tracking authorization status in real time. The effort anticipates mandatory electronic prior authorization for Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, CHIP, and Marketplace plans beginning January 1, 2027. CMS called the coalition a unified front aimed at cutting delays that providers say routinely harm patients awaiting medically necessary care.
Sources: Healthcare Dive
Trump Administration Proposes Dropping Clinician Testing Requirements for Healthcare AI Tools
The Trump administration and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. proposed removing user-centered design testing requirements and transparency disclosures for AI tools used in clinical settings, according to a rule from HHS’s health IT office published Thursday. The change would eliminate a certification requirement obligating EHR developers to demonstrate that AI products are tested with actual clinicians before deployment. Proponents argue the move removes duplicative red tape and encourages innovation; critics, including clinician safety advocates, warn that removing oversight leaves doctors and patients exposed to untested AI that could affect diagnoses and treatment decisions.
Sources: Modern Healthcare
MACPAC Recommends Congress Require Human Review of AI-Backed Medicaid Coverage Denials
The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission voted Thursday to recommend that Congress require human oversight of AI-backed prior authorization in Medicaid managed care plans. MACPAC urged CMS to mandate that a clinician with appropriate expertise review any automated denial of medical necessity before it is finalized. The commission cited limited federal and state visibility into how managed care plans currently deploy AI for coverage decisions, raising concerns about data bias, inaccuracies, and undetected inequities. Katherine Rogers, MACPAC’s congressional liaison, said transparency and disclosure are essential for regulators to assess and mitigate emerging risks from automation in the safety-net program.
Sources: Healthcare Dive
HIPAA Security Rule Overhaul Faces May Deadline Doubts Despite HHS Target
Federal regulators set a May 2026 target for publishing a final update to the HIPAA Security Rule — the first overhaul of the 23-year-old standard — but privacy attorneys and compliance experts say the deadline is unlikely to be met. The proposed changes would eliminate the “required” versus “addressable” distinction in security safeguards, making encryption and multi-factor authentication mandatory across all covered entities and business associates. GovInfoSecurity reported Thursday that HHS’ Office for Civil Rights has not signaled imminent publication, and one attorney described the May deadline as “more aspirational than real.” Health systems are nonetheless advised to begin compliance preparations now.
Sources: GovInfoSecurity
Survey: Patient Trust in Healthcare AI Is Conditional, Varies Sharply by Generation
A nationwide survey of 1,012 U.S. adults found that trust in healthcare AI is conditional and varies sharply by generation, with younger patients more accepting of AI in administrative functions but skeptical of its role in diagnosis and billing. The Sogolytics Healthcare AI Adoption and Trust Report, published Thursday by Healthcare IT News, found the four strongest reassurance factors are all human-centered: physician oversight, real-time human review, transparent disclosure, and accountability mechanisms — with cost savings ranking fifth. Providers were advised to prioritize AI in scheduling and administrative tasks while maintaining human-in-the-loop architectures for clinical and financial decisions most directly affecting patients.
Sources: Healthcare IT News
Configurable EHR-Integrated AI Call Centers Deliver $586K Average Annual ROI, Survey Finds
Health systems using configurable AI integrations within their EHR call center platforms reported average annual returns of $586,000, with 15 percent exceeding $1 million, according to a Healthcare IT News survey of nearly 400 healthcare organizations published Thursday. Among systems using standard, non-configurable AI call center tools, only 1 percent surpassed the $1 million threshold. More than 94 percent of health systems with agentic AI deployed it for rescheduling, cancellations, and appointment verification; fewer than 20 percent extended automation to new-patient scheduling or registration. The report, conducted by Hyro, identified configurability and deep EHR integration as the primary drivers of performance differences between deployments.
Sources: Healthcare IT News
Chromie Health Raises $2M, Launches SMS AI Agent to Fill Hospital Nursing Shifts
Nashville-based startup Chromie Health closed a $2 million pre-seed round led by AIX Ventures and launched Chromie Dispatch, an SMS-based AI staffing agent for hospitals seeking to fill open nursing shifts in real time. The platform communicates with staff via text message, matches positions to available nurses, and confirms placements without requiring a separate app. Chromie reported more than 750 hospitals on its waitlist at launch. The funding comes as hospital systems face acute nursing shortages that staffing agencies have struggled to address at scale, with labor costs remaining one of the highest operating pressures for U.S. health systems in 2026.
Sources: Fierce Healthcare
Curated by JD · samwise.agency