Morning Headlines 12/23/25
HHS proposes the HTI-5 rule to streamline the ONC Health IT Certification Program, strengthen enforcement against information blocking, and establish a foundation of modern FHIR-based APIs to support AI-enabled interoperability while reducing regulatory burden and saving billions in compliance costs.
CEO of Health Care Software Company Sentenced for $1B Fraud Conspiracy
An Arizona man is sentenced to 15 years in prison and ordered to pay over $452 million in restitution for operating a software platform that generated more than $1 billion in fraudulent Medicare and insurer claims by using false doctors’ orders and illegal kickbacks to bill medically unnecessary durable medical equipment and other items.
Can the Montana State Hospital regain federal standing without electronic health records?
State officials are seeking to restore federal certification for Montana State Hospital even though the adult psychiatry facility continues to use paper-based medical records.
AMA CEO: AI is not medicine’s future—“this is happening now.”
American Medical Association CEO John Whyte, MD, MPH says artificial intelligence is not a distant future for medicine, it is already reshaping clinical care and digital health, and physicians must take a leadership role in its creation and use.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to the HIStalk crowd. I wish you the joys of the season!