Government & Policy

With the program, the first of its kind, patients with chronic conditions can obtain legally authorized, automated prescription refills for pharmacists to process. 

APAC healthcare leaders share how they expect AI in healthcare to evolve in 2026, from governance and clinical adoption to real-world impact on patients and health systems.

Virtual care must be the VA's next great innovation, says Kent Dicks, CEO of Life365, who says telehealth should scale to meet the agency's needs and bring better care to veterans.

Responding to the Trump administration executive order that aims to supersede several state laws already setting safety guardrails, many vendors say that a unified approach is preferable to a "patchwork of conflicting policies."

The editors of the HIMSS Media brands offer sneak peek of the year ahead: including precision medicine advances, cybersecurity challenges, policy shifts and, of course, continued evolution of AI-enabled care delivery.

The extension allows providers to continue remotely prescribing Schedule II–V controlled substances under specific conditions to prevent a disruptive "telemedicine cliff."

All 50 states were awarded funding to launch their proposals to achieve sustainable rural healthcare over a 10-year timeframe. See how much each stated received.

The government will also fund hospital-based verification programs so AI tools can be tested and validated at scale before clinical rollout.

The proposed rule aims to reduce burdens and costs on health IT developers. It also includes measures to promote FHIR-based interoperability, strengthen information blocking rules and simplify certification of AI models.

Serving as the primary liaison for the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, the ORHT is now responsible for coordinating, overseeing and driving rural healthcare policy in the United States.