In this episode of Tell Me Where IT Hurts, Dr. Jay Anders welcomes back Amy Gleason, a longtime leader at the intersection of healthcare policy, technology, and interoperability. Currently serving as Acting Administrator of the U.S. DOGE Service and Strategic Advisor to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Gleason is helping shape a new, collaborative approach to modernizing healthcare data exchange across the country.
Gleason reflects on her return to government after recent roles in value-based care, where she worked directly with Medicaid, rural health, and medically complex populations. That experience, combined with her earlier work at the U.S. Digital Service during the COVID response, reinforced a core reality. Interoperability challenges remain deeply entrenched, even after years of regulation and standards development.
Rather than relying solely on new rules, CMS is now pursuing a faster, partnership-driven strategy. Gleason describes how a 2025 request for information drew more than 1,300 responses from across the healthcare ecosystem. One theme stood out clearly: trust is the primary barrier to data sharing. That insight led to the launch of a national health tech collaboration, bringing together hundreds of companies, networks, and providers to move from vision to execution in months rather than years.
At the center of this framework is patient empowerment. Gleason outlines a model where patients can access and share their data using modern identity verification, without relying on portals or remembering where records are stored. Patients gain visibility into who is requesting their data and for what purpose, mirroring the transparency people expect in financial services. Providers and payers also benefit through delegated access, targeted data queries, and reduced administrative burden.
“I would like to stop talking about interoperability and just experience the joy of it.”
Amy Gleason
Strategic Advisor, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
The discussion also addresses long-standing concerns around information blocking, data quality, fraud, and quality measurement. Gleason explains how CMS is pairing stronger enforcement with practical infrastructure, including a national provider directory, verified identity services, and clearer accountability for data exchange performance. She emphasizes that putting patients at the center is one of the most effective ways to surface and correct errors that persist in clinical records.
The episode closes with a deeply personal story. Gleason shares how her daughter, a complex patient with a rare disease, used AI tools combined with her complete medical record to correct a long-standing diagnosis, avoid an emergency department visit, and receive real-time guidance during home infusion therapy. The story illustrates the potential of patient-accessible data combined with responsible AI to deliver timely, actionable insight outside traditional care settings.
Show Notes
Among the topics covered:
- CMS shift from regulation-first interoperability to rapid, collaborative execution
- Industry feedback identified trust as the biggest barrier to data sharing
- Launch of a national health tech ecosystem with hundreds of participating organizations
- Patient-centered interoperability using modern identity and transparent data access
- Elimination of portal dependency through QR codes and smart health links
- Delegated data access for providers and targeted queries for payers and value-based care
- Enforcement of information blocking with the strongest posture to date
- National provider directory to improve trust, visibility, and accountability
- Role of patients in identifying and correcting data quality issues
- Real-world examples of AI supporting clinical insight and avoiding unnecessary care
- And more…
Show Links
- Amy Gleason on LinkedIn
- Dr. Jay Anders on LinkedIn
- Medicomp Systems on LinkedIn
- Tell Me Where IT Hurts on Healthcare NOW Radio