US health regulators will stop checking if health tech can share data
What happened
US health regulators want to remove some rules about how health technology must share patient data. This means developers will have more flexibility, but it could make it harder for different systems to talk to each other.
Why it matters
For years, the US government has pushed for health technology to be interoperable, meaning different systems can easily exchange patient information. This was supposed to make healthcare more efficient and patient-centered. This proposed rule reverses some of that push, making it easier for health tech companies to avoid building in robust data-sharing capabilities. It could slow down the broader trend of digital health integration.
The signal
Watch for how many health tech developers choose to drop data-sharing features from their products, and whether patient advocacy groups report new difficulties in accessing their health data across different providers.