CMS Ran Private Slack Channel Giving Tech Firms Policy Access
KFF Health News reports that CMS and FDA officials operated a private Slack workspace where tech companies including Microsoft, Anthropic, OpenAI, Apple, and Google helped shape federal policy on AI health apps and chatbots, including a February FDA "listening session" not disclosed on public calendars. Legal experts say the arrangement resembles a federal advisory committee, which would legally be required to operate publicly. The effort ties into CMS's "Health Technology Ecosystem" initiative, which lets health apps bill Medicare for AI-driven services like wearable tracking, and a new Medicare App Library promoting commercial apps to beneficiaries. CMS officials, including Administrator Mehmet Oz and product chief Amy Gleason, defended the collaboration as open and voluntary, while physician groups warned the AI tools lack sufficient oversight, data transparency, and liability safeguards.