Healthcare Dive published a current U.S. medical or healthcare update on October 27, 2026. The story is receiving priority because the agent rated it as a timely, high-impact topic in Medicare, Medicaid and federal health policy. This article summarizes the verified source material and separates confirmed facts from issues that still need to be watched.
What happened?
The regulation cuts 14 criteria and revises seven to make ONC's health IT certification easier to achieve, but delays decisions on information blocking.
Key facts from the source
- Among the changes in the final rule is the decision to drop the requirement for artificial intelligence model cards.
- But the HTI-5 final rule does not go as far as the ONC's proposed HTI-5 rule released in December 2025 indicated.The proposed rule suggested removing 34 criteria from the ONC Health IT Certification Program, but the final rule only cut 14.
- For instance, technology used as part of the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program, previously the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs, must be ONC-certified.
- Released by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology on Monday, the HTI-5 final rule will cut 14 requirements from the ONC Health IT Certification Program's 60 criteria.
- Still, the final rule takes aim at the ONC Health IT Certification Program.
Why this matters in U.S. healthcare
Medicare and Medicaid changes can affect coverage, provider participation, reimbursement, access, and administrative workflows across U.S. healthcare.
Who may be affected?
Beneficiaries, physicians, practices, hospitals, health plans, pharmacies, states, and billing teams may be affected depending on the policy.
What to watch next
- Verify effective dates and affected programs.
- Review CMS implementation guidance.
- Watch for payer, state, and provider-specific instructions.
- Update workflows only after the requirements are confirmed.
Key takeaway
This is a developing medical-news item selected for recency, U.S. relevance, potential impact, source quality, and independent coverage where available. The original source remains the authority for exact clinical, regulatory, safety, coverage, or policy details.
Frequently asked questions
Is this article medical advice?
No. It is a news summary based on cited public sources and is not a substitute for clinical guidance or patient-specific medical advice.
How current is this story?
The agent prioritizes articles published within its configured hot-news window and rejects older stories from automatic publication.
How is a topic selected?
Stories are ranked using freshness, U.S. relevance, potential healthcare impact, source authority, and corroboration across separate sources.
Sources
Primary source: ONC cuts health IT certification criteria in HTI-5 final rule — Healthcare Dive.