CMS announces library of digital health apps for Medicare beneficiaries 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Feb. 23 announced the development of its Medicare App Library. As part of the agency’s Health Technology Ecosystem framework, the library will provide a directory for Medicare beneficiaries to access an array of patent-facing digital health tools integrated with CMS Aligned Networks. The tools will be aligned in three areas, including “kill the clipboard” apps intended to eliminate manual check-in forms, conversational artificial intelligence assistants, and diabetes and obesity management tools. CMS indicated that participating apps must sign the interoperability pledge and complete certain steps to participate, including partnering with ID.me or CLEAR to implement identity verification services, enabling connection to CMS Aligned Networks, and completing an evaluation by the Digital Medicine Society or the CARIN Alliance before undergoing a CMS review. In addition, CMS said participants in the Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions Model, or ACCESS, that join the Health Technology Ecosystem would be featured in the library with a special designation.