HHS Reorganizes Health Technology Offices. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a reorganization of health technology offices within the Department, including changing the dual management title of Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) to its previously titled office as ONC. ONC will continue to operate as a staff division within the HHS Office of the Secretary focused on nationwide health information technology interoperability and data liquidity. The offices of the HHS Chief Technology Officer, HHS Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, and HHS Chief Data Officer have been realigned back under the HHS Office of Chief Information Officer (OCIO). The OCIO will focus on the core functions of strategic technology leadership and innovation; responsible, trustworthy artificial intelligence; and enterprise data governance and analytics in support of the Department’s mission programs.

NCVHS Announces Meeting on April 16. The National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) announced in the Federal Register its upcoming virtual meeting on April 16, 2026, from 5:30-7:30 pm ET. NCVHS is a federal advisory committee and assists and advises the Secretary of HHS on the administrative simplification provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), health data, data standards, statistics, privacy, health information policy, and the Department’s strategy to best address those issues. The agenda will include an update from the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR), along with time for public comment. The meeting is open to the public and instructions for obtaining a link to attend the meeting will be posted on the NCVHS website.

White House Appoints Tech Leaders to PCAST. The White House appointed members to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). PCAST brings together experts in science and technology to advise the President and provide recommendations on strengthening American leadership in science and technology. The Council will be co-chaired by David Sacks and Michael Kratsios. Other appointees include Marc Andreessen, Sergey Brin, Safra Catz, Michael Dell, Jacob DeWitte, Fred Ehrsam, Larry Ellison, David Friedberg, Jensen Huang, John Martinis, Bob Mumgaard, Lisa Su, and Mark Zuckerberg. PCAST plans to focus on topics related to the opportunities and challenges of emerging technologies on the American workforce.

TEFCA™ RCE Publishes Draft SOPs for Review. The Sequoia Project, the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement™ (TEFCA™) Recognized Coordinating Entity^® (RCE^®), along with ONC published the Draft Consequences for QHIN Non-Compliance Version 1.0 Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and Draft Individual Access Services (IAS) Exchange Purpose SOP Version 3.0 on the TEFCA Topics in Change Management webpage for review. The Consequences for QHIN Non-Compliance SOP provides information on remediation strategies and consequences that the RCE may impose on a Qualified Health Information Network™ (QHIN^™) that is non-compliant with the Common Agreement, SOPs, or the QHIN Technical Framework. The deadline to submit feedback on this SOP is April 10, 2026. The IAS Exchange Purpose SOP identifies requirements for IAS Providers to follow for individual identity verification when sending an IAS Query. Feedback on this SOP is due on April 24, 2026.

FTC Announces Formation of Health Care Task Force. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced plans to form a Healthcare Task Force that will engage in a coordinated, integrated approach to health care enforcement and advocacy to protect patients and health care workers. The FTC’s Bureaus of Competition, Consumer Protection and Economics, Office of Policy Planning, and Office of Technology will create the Task Force. It plans to include HHS and Department of Justice in its membership. The Task Force will continue the FTC’s efforts to address existing and emerging consumer protection and competition issues across the health care industry.

CMS AHC Model Found to Have Decreased Health Care Spending by $200 Million. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center’s Accountable Health Communities (AHC) Model was found to have decreased overall health care spending for participants. This model, started in 2017, tested whether connecting Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries with specific core needs to community resources could reduce health care expenditures and utilization. The five core needs were housing instability, food insecurity, transportation problems, utility difficulties, and interpersonal violence. From the model, more than one million beneficiaries were screened for core needs. Results from the model found a three percent decrease in total expenditures for Medicaid beneficiaries and a seven percent decrease for fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries. The total savings from the model were calculated at more than $200 million.

CMS Opens Applications for LEAD Model. CMS opened a request for applications for the Long-term Enhanced ACO Design (LEAD) Model with the deadline of May 17, 2026, to apply. The goal of this model is to expand the benefits of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) to more Medicare beneficiaries and address ongoing barriers to ACO participation. The model will support a broad range of participants and providers by offering enhanced support to small, independent, and rural practices delivering primary care and serving high-needs beneficiaries. The voluntary model will start on January 1, 2027, and will run for 10 years.

CMS Hosting Listening Session on Patient Empowerment Care. The CMS Innovation Center is holding a virtual Beneficiary Listening Session on Monday, April 13, 2026, 2:30-3:30 p.m. ET focused on patient experiences in health care for improving access, transparency, and affordability. The session will include patients, caregivers, and advocates discussing their real-world experiences using digital tools to navigate care, understand costs, and manage health conditions. Registration is available here.

X12 to Hold Webinar on HIPAA Version 008060 835 Transaction. X12 will hold the second webinar in its 008060 education/information series on Thursday, April 9 at 1 pm ET. The session will focus on the 008060 version of the Health Care Claim Payment/Advice implementation guide (835). Registration is now open. The next webinar in the series will be on the Health Care Claim Professional, Institutional, and Dental implementation guides (837). Additional webinars and on-demand presentations will be offered in the future. Questions about the 008060 education/information series can be submitted via the X12 feedback form.