Trump Administration’s Health Tech Innovations
- The Trump administration made considerable moves to promote artificial intelligence (AI) and other technology use across the federal health department.
- The STAT Health Tech team recently reviewed the year in Trump health tech policy and its future implications.
- Reinforcing this trend, ASTP/ONC, the government's top health IT regulator, released a proposed rule on Monday, December 23, 2025, seeking to eliminate 34 certification criteria for electronic health...
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Trump Administration‘s Deregulatory push in Health Tech & AI
Table of Contents
Background: The Deregulatory Approach
The Trump administration made considerable moves to promote artificial intelligence (AI) and other technology use across the federal health department. The core strategy involved removing barriers to AI adoption by hospitals, providers, and patients. The bulk of thes actions were deregulatory, aiming to guide industry towards specific goals through incentives rather than strict mandates.
The STAT Health Tech team recently reviewed the year in Trump health tech policy and its future implications. You can find their complete analysis here.
Key Actions: Eliminating EHR Certification Criteria
Reinforcing this trend, ASTP/ONC, the government’s top health IT regulator, released a proposed rule on Monday, December 23, 2025, seeking to eliminate 34 certification criteria for electronic health record (EHR) software and update seven others. This includes the removal of “model card” transparency requirements introduced by the Biden Administration for clinical decision support tools integrated into EHRs. These model card requirements had only recently gone into effect at the beginning of 2025.
Further details on this proposed rule can be found here.
Impact and Implications
What Happened?
The Trump administration’s approach centered on reducing the regulatory burden on healthcare technology companies. This included streamlining approval processes, promoting data sharing, and encouraging the use of AI in areas like drug discovery, diagnostics, and patient care. The recent proposed rule by ASTP/ONC represents a notable continuation of this policy, potentially reversing efforts to increase transparency around AI algorithms used in healthcare.
What Does it Mean?
deregulation can foster innovation by lowering the cost and complexity of bringing new technologies to market. However, it also raises concerns about patient safety, data privacy, and algorithmic bias. The removal of model card requirements, for example, could make it more challenging for clinicians and patients to understand how AI systems arrive at their recommendations.
Who is affected?
- Healthcare Providers: May have greater flexibility in adopting new technologies but could face increased risk if those technologies are not adequately vetted.
- Technology Companies: Benefit from reduced regulatory hurdles, potentially leading to faster innovation and market entry.
- Patients: Could gain access to more advanced healthcare solutions, but may also be exposed to risks associated with less obvious or rigorously tested technologies.
- Regulators: Face the challenge of balancing innovation with patient safety and ethical considerations.
Timeline of key Events
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