Washington takes on interop (Again)

Last week, the White House and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) convened a “Make Health Tech Great Again” meeting and launched an initiative to advance digital health tools and data-sharing standards. Sixty digital health companies and big tech players, as well as 11 provider and payer organizations, signed on as “Early Adopters,” each pledging support for efforts like expanding access to diabetes and obesity management tools and developing conversational AI assistants.

Several digital health companies have already announced their plans to contribute. For example, virtual weight loss and nutrition platform Noom will launch a free tier of its app, while clinical workflow AI agent developer Ellipsis Health aims to integrate health records into its conversational AI care manager to further personalize patient support.

Interoperability has long been on the policy agenda, but roll-out has often lagged amid fragmented infrastructure and misaligned incentives. This latest effort surfaces familiar concerns around funding mechanisms, accountability, and safeguards for patient privacy. The new initiative sets expectations that digital health startups will play a hands-on role in shaping and implementing the infrastructure ahead. Amidst a broader context of margin and operational pressures for healthcare operators, innovators could become key strategic allies—both to incumbents trying to adapt and to CMS seeking to bring its vision to life.

The countdown to Rock Health Summit is officially on: We’re excited to share the first installment of this year’s Rock Health Summit Virtual Series, an expert-led conversation on advancing solutions for depression and anxiety. Hear from Nathaan Demers (Hopelab), Mark Griffin (BJ’s Wholesale Club), Caroline Pearson (Peterson Health Technology Institute), and Nelly Ganesan (RockHealth.org) as they discuss how the mental health ecosystem is responding to challenges—and where it’s falling short. Want to learn more? Register by 8/9 before prices go up, and join us at Rock Health Summit on 9/30!

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Recent Funding

• AI-powered ambient documentation, billing, and coding company Ambience inks $243M
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• Behavioral health focused clinical documentation startup Jotpsych adds $5M