CMS Creates Health Tech Office Overseeing Medicare Modernization

By Christian Robles - Inside Washington new service / June 10, 2026

CMS recently launched an Office of Health Technology and Products (OHTP) tasked with modernizing Medicare, Medicaid and other CMS programs, in addition to supporting CMS’ aggressive push to recruit top tech talent.

“This new organizational component will provide enterprise leadership and oversight for CMS healthcare technology modernization, digital products, and transformation of platforms and services supporting Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and other CMS-administered programs,” according to a Federal Register notice published Wednesday (June 10) morning.

The office works in close collaboration with CMS Chief Information Officer Patrick Newbold to ensure it follows information technology governance and other federal rules.

The office features an Open Source Program Group, Standards & Interoperability Group, Product Development Group and the Digital Service at CMS, according to the Federal Register notice.

The Open Source Program Group will recruit and hire software engineers, product managers and technical designers. It will also work with HHS and other federal agencies, develop policies around open source technologies and coordinate with the private sector.

The Standards & Interoperability Group will establish a “strategic direction for interoperability, prioritizing [application programming interface (API)]-based and patient-centered data exchange to support access, care coordination and program effectiveness,” the notice said.

The group includes a Division of Policy that will develop interoperability regulations and guidance, review legislation for interoperability implications, monitor private sector health data standards and coordinate with HHS’ chief health IT office (ONC). The group also includes a Division of Data and Interoperability Platforms tasked with designing and implementing interoperability solutions, including Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR)-based APIs.

OHTP's Product Development Group will oversee ambitious technology projects that the Trump administration has started.

The group’s Division of Core Products will lead an overhaul of Medicare claims systems, the development of a National Provider Directory and “digital engagements that advance Medicaid and CHIP modernization,” the notice said.

Last week, the Trump administration unveiled awards worth up to $2 billion for an update to four legacy Medicare claims systems. Those contracts are for a CMS “proof-of-concept," Joyce Lau, a senior technology strategist for the Center for Medicare, clarified at an AHIMA event Wednesday.

CMS is continuing its development of a National Provider Directory, a project that top congressional Democrats have blasted for accidentally leaking doctors’ Social Security Numbers. CMS is helping states prepare for Medicaid work requirements taking effect in 2027 by building a mobile-friendly app Medicaid beneficiaries can use to show compliance with upcoming regulations and APIs states can use to verify information about Medicaid beneficiaries.

The Product Development Group also has a Division of External Products that will oversee Medicare.gov, the Medicare Plan Finder and other technologies Medicare beneficiaries use.

The division's work comes as the Trump administration plans to add caregiver accounts to Medicare.gov that include digital identity verification options and promotes health apps on Medicare.gov.

The Digital Service at CMS is focused on “sets of short-term discovery sprints to enable high-impact technology projects” across HHS and supporting the OHTP’s operations.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. approved the CMS reorganization on Tuesday (June 9), and it took effect the same day.