CMS CCSQ QualTech

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), through the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality (CCSQ), is sponsoring QualTech - an industry event designed to surface innovative technology solutions that address key quality-related priorities.

Through QualTech, CMS seeks to:

• Better understand current market capabilities that can directly improve patient health outcomes
• Explore innovative approaches to quality challenges that empower both patients and providers
• Identify opportunities to maximize strategic technology impact across healthcare quality programs - reducing friction, improving transparency, and putting better information in the hands of those who need it most

QualTech finalists will be invited to a day-long event to present their solutions at CMS Headquarters before an audience of CMS and CCSQ leadership, subject matter experts, and invited stakeholders.

Following the QualTech Event, CMS may pursue continued engagement with select organizations, including future demonstrations, pilots, collaboration discussions, and a potential role in the 2027 CMS Quality Conference - ensuring that the most promising innovations have a path to real-world impact for patients and providers nationwide.

Background: 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is committed to improving quality, safety, access, and health outcomes across the Medicare and Medicaid programs while advancing innovation and modernization across the healthcare system.

Within CMS, the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality (CCSQ) serves as the national leader in advancing healthcare quality and safety across the United States. CCSQ develops and enforces health and safety standards for healthcare providers, determines Medicare coverage, and strengthens accountability in care delivery. CCSQ’s goal is optimal health for all within the nation’s health and long-term care systems. 

As healthcare quality programs continue to evolve, CMS and CCSQ remain committed to identifying new technologies and innovative approaches that support the effective delivery of our mission, reduce administrative burden, and promote cost savings. These efforts are guided by a dedication to promoting prevention and wellness, enhancing patient and resident safety, and improving quality outcomes across the healthcare system.

Phase 1 – Proposed Solution Submission

CMS invites proposed technology solutions from U.S.-based teams, academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, private sector entities, industry associations, and other organizations with technology solutions or capabilities aligned to CMS quality priorities. Proposal submissions must align to one of four priority opportunity areas identified by CMS and CCSQ. The submission must be in the form of a white paper and consist of a PDF file with at least 1-inch margins and be no more than five (5) pages long, excluding the cover page and a reference list. The font size must be no smaller than 11-point Arial. All submissions must be in English. Participants must not use the CMS logo, official seal, or the logo of HHS in their submissions and must not imply federal government endorsement.

Following review of all submissions, up to eight (8) finalists will be selected and invited to advance to Phase 2.

Opportunity Areas: 

       Opportunity Area #1: Using AI to Protect Patients and Strengthen Healthcare Quality

Every year, patients and residents depend on CMS' Survey & Certification program to ensure that certified providers caring for them (e.g., hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, and dialysis facilities) meet minimum federal health and safety standards. Today, that oversight relies heavily on periodic, point-in-time surveys and quality complaints where trained professionals manually review hundreds or even thousands of pages of medical records under significant time pressure. AI offers a meaningful opportunity to change that by identifying risks and quality concerns within medical records outside of surveys and complaints..

CMS invites industry to propose solutions which identify emerging quality and patient safety risks based on AI-assisted medical record review and provider insights. The goals of this solution are:

• Help providers address issues identified through medical record review before they become survey deficiencies or negatively affect patients. 
• Equip surveyors with richer digital intelligence derived from medical record analysis before they arrive onsite. 
• Reduce unnecessary administrative burden through secure digital exchange that protects patient information. 
• Improve consistency and transparency across the survey process. 
• Better target limited survey resources toward providers with the greatest risk as indicated by medical record findings. 

An AI-assisted medical record and policy review capability, trained on federal regulatory requirements — including care planning mandates, physician order timelines, medication administration standards, assessment accuracy requirements (for example, Minimum Data Set (MDS) and Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS)), and abuse and neglect reporting obligations - could automatically surface potential documentation gaps and flag areas warranting closer clinical review. Surveyors would spend less time searching through medical records for information and more time doing what only they can do: exercising expert judgment, conducting patient interviews, and confirming findings that protect patient safety. This means a stronger, more consistent patient safety net.

Proactive Prevention
Perhaps the most compelling dimension is what an AI-assisted review could mean for providers - and ultimately for patients - before a survey ever begins. The same AI-assisted tool could be made available to providers as a voluntary quality improvement resource, giving facility leadership, clinical staff, and quality teams across care settings the ability to:

• Proactively scan their patients’ medical records for potential regulatory gaps across care planning, documentation, medication administration, and reporting obligations.
• Receive early, actionable insights mapped to specific federal regulatory tags - so issues can be corrected before they become deficiencies.
• Reduce survey-related anxiety and burden through better preparation and boost confidence in their compliance posture.
• Identify organization-wide patterns and trends - such as recurring documentation gaps, missed assessment timelines, or other emerging risks - that may not be apparent through manual medical record review alone, enabling more targeted quality improvement efforts. 
• Identify systemic patterns across their patient population - such as recurring documentation gaps or missed assessment timelines - that may not be visible through manual medical record review alone.

       Opportunity Area #2: Leveraging AI to Increase Annual Wellness Visits in Medicare

Currently, fewer than 50% of Medicare beneficiaries receive Annual Wellness Visits (AWVs). Such visits provide a critical opportunity to screen beneficiaries for health risks and develop a care plan focused on prevention, wellness, chronic disease management, and advance care planning. Clinical AI could help make AWVs more efficient and scalable by supporting two key components: (1) the required Health Risk Assessment (HRA), for which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other organizations have recommended options; and (2) the development of a care plan to address risks identified through the HRA and other health needs. By reducing the administrative and clinical burden associated with these components, clinical AI could enable providers to conduct more AWVs and increase the number of Medicare beneficiaries who receive them.

Completion of the AWV is dependent on effective engagement of patients and providers, which could benefit from patient - and provider-facing technology solutions for both the HRA and care plan components. Data abstracted from the patient’s electronic health record (EHR), including structured and unstructured clinical notes, and from other digital sources, such as claims and laboratory results, could significantly enhance and streamline HRA completion, subsequent care plan development, and adherence. These efficiencies could reduce the time required to complete each visit, expand provider capacity, and increase beneficiary access to AWVs.

CMS invites industry to propose innovative solutions that leverage clinical AI and other emerging technologies to improve the efficiency and reach of AWVs by strengthening patient and provider engagement, streamlining HRA completion and care planning, increasing the number of beneficiaries who receive AWVs, and ultimately improving health outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries.

        Opportunity Area #3: Next-Generation dQM Calculator: Real-Time Quality Intelligence at Scale

Calculating quality measures involves processing massive, multi-source datasets, which has led many providers, facilities, registries, and other quality measure stakeholders to independently develop and maintain their own unique technology stacks. CMS invites industry to propose a measure calculator (or showcase an existing measure calculator) built on a framework accessible to providers, facilities, and CMS. The solution should be specifically designed to support the approximately 70 Digital Quality Measures (dQMs) converted from existing electronic Clinical Quality Measures (eCQMs), as defined and published through the eCQI Resource Center. By targeting these converted measures, this initiative would directly align with CMS' broader strategic direction of moving toward digital-first quality measurement and interoperability, while lowering the barrier to entry for providers and facilities seeking to adopt standardized quality measurement tools.

As CMS continues to work toward closing the gap in quality reporting programs between measurement, reporting, and scoring in support of true quality improvement, a high-performance computing platform will be essential. Such a platform - capable of connecting directly to EHRs or enterprise data warehouses and processing the structured data requirements inherent to dQMs - will enable providers to use their digital data in real time to improve quality.

       Opportunity Area #4: National Quality Hospital Dashboard

CMS, as the largest payer in the United States and a national leader in quality improvement across all payer populations, is uniquely positioned to drive meaningful change in how health care quality data is understood and utilized across the continuum of care. CMS is seeking innovative proposals to support the development of a user-centered, interactive National Quality Hospital Dashboard. This dashboard would aggregate and group quality measures to enable meaningful comparisons across regions, populations, and other relevant characteristics - displaying both areas of opportunity for improvement and examples of high performance. Measures should be strategically aligned to advance national priorities in patient quality, safety, and value. This dashboard should leverage publicly available hospital data from HHS and CMS, and other quality-related sources. Relevant CMS programs include:

• Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program – measures covering a broad range of clinical topics including mortality, safety, readmissions, patient experience, and efficiency.
• Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) – measures focused on reducing avoidable hospital readmissions for select conditions
• Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Program – measures related to the reduction of hospital-acquired infections and other preventable adverse events
• Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (HVBP) Program – measures that link hospital payment to quality performance across multiple domains

This information can be found on CMS websites including, but not limited to:

• https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/
• https://data.cms.gov/ 
• https://qcor.cms.gov/ 
• https://www.cms.gov/medicare/quality/initiatives 

Additional hospital-oriented quality data from other HHS agencies can be found here:

• https://healthdata.gov/
• https://www.hhs.gov/open/index.html 
  
   

CMS invites industry partners to propose solutions that transform complex hospital quality data into clear, accessible, and actionable insights: equipping beneficiaries, caregivers, providers, and other stakeholders with the tools they need to explore data, answer their questions, and make confident, informed decisions. Proposed solutions should demonstrate how they would meet the needs of a varied user base while promoting transparency, usability, and data-driven decision-making at scale.

Phase 2 – QualTech Event

Up to Eight Selected finalists will be invited to participate in the QualTech Event on November 9, 2026, at CMS Headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland. 

During the event, finalists will present their proposed technology solutions to CMS and CCSQ leadership, subject matter experts, and invited stakeholders. Finalists will also have the opportunity to engage directly with CMS attendees through demonstrations, discussion, and networking. Presentations should not exceed fifteen (15) minutes. Order of presentation will be determined by random drawing before the event.

The event will provide CMS an opportunity to evaluate innovative solutions, increase awareness of emerging technologies, and explore potential future collaboration opportunities. DISCLAIMERS: This event is not associated with any Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) or Request for Proposals (RFP). Selection to participate in this event will not be a prerequisite for eligibility for any subsequent CCSQ NOFOs or RFPs. Entities not selected for this event are welcome to provide additional information to CCSQ at their discretion.

Key Dates: 

• QualTech Phase 1 Submission Deadline: September 4, 2026
  Deadline for all submissions.
• Phase 2 Finalist Notification: October 13, 2026
  Selected finalists will be notified and invited to prepare for participation in the QualTech Event.
• QualTech Event: November 9, 2026
  Finalists will present their solutions at CMS Headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland.

• September 4, 2026: Phase 1 submission period closes at 11:59 PM ET.
• October 13, 2026: Phase 2 QualTech Event participants (finalists) announced. 
• October 19, 2026: Finalist attendee information due at 5:00 PM ET, including names and required participation details for event planning and security coordination.

• November 9, 2026: QualTech Event, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM ET.

   

QualTech provides participants with a unique opportunity to showcase innovative technology solutions directly to CMS, contribute to the future of healthcare quality modernization, and learn about emerging priorities shaping the federal healthcare landscape.

Participants selected to advance in QualTech may receive the following benefits:

1. Opportunity to present innovative technology solutions directly to CMS and CCSQ leadership, subject matter experts, and invited stakeholders.
2. Participation in the QualTech Event at CMS Headquarters.
3. Potential Presentation opportunities at the 2027 CMS Quality Conference or other CMS-sponsored innovation forums. 

Eligibility Requirements:

• QualTech is open to the following participants: U.S.-based teams, academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, private sector entities, industry associations, and other organizations with technology solutions or capabilities aligned to CMS quality priorities.
• Individuals who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents may contribute to or support a participating team or organization, provided the team or organization otherwise satisfies the eligibility requirements. However, participation in the Phase 2 QualTech Event at CMS Headquarters will be limited to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who satisfy all applicable CMS facility access and security requirements.
• Federal employees acting within the scope of their employment are not eligible to participate. Employees of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including CMS, are not eligible to participate.
• Each submission must identify a primary point of contact who will submit required materials and serve as the main contact for CMS communications.
• Participants selected to advance to Phase 2 must be able to attend the QualTech Event in person at CMS Headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland and satisfy all applicable CMS facility access and security requirements, including presentation of a REAL ID-compliant identification or valid passport for entry.
• Participants selected to advance to Phase 2 may designate up to five (5) representatives to attend and participate in the QualTech Event at CMS Headquarters on behalf of their submission. 
• Participants must comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and policies.

Rules:

• Participants may not use federal funds from a grant award, cooperative agreement, contract or other federal funding source to develop or support QualTech submissions unless such use is consistent with the purpose and terms of the award.
• Participants are responsible for all costs, risks, and obligations associated with preparing and submitting materials.
• Participants selected to advance to Phase 2 are responsible for all travel, lodging, meals, and other costs associated with attending the QualTech Event. CMS will not provide reimbursement for participation-related expenses.
• By participating in QualTech, each participant warrants that they are the sole author or owner of, or have the right to use, any materials included in their submission, and that their submission does not infringe upon the intellectual property or other rights of any third party.
• Participants must clearly identify any intellectual property and/or confidential commercial information contained in their submission that they wish to protect as proprietary. Any material presented at the Event will be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.
• Materials submitted to CMS as part of QualTech may be retained as agency records in accordance with applicable federal records requirements.
• Participants must comply with all applicable QualTech requirements, instructions, and submission deadlines issued by CMS.
• Application to participate in QualTech constitutes full and unconditional agreement to abide by these rules and any official QualTech guidance, instructions, or updates issued by CMS.

Terms & Conditions: 

• Submissions may be disqualified for plagiarism, falsification of submitted information, use of copyrighted material without permission, failure to comply with QualTech requirements, or inclusion of inappropriate content.
• CMS reserves the right to cancel, suspend, modify, or terminate QualTech, or any part of it, at any time and for any reason, at CMS’ sole discretion.
• By participating in QualTech, participants grant CMS a nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to publish, post, link to, share, and publicly display participant names, organization names, submission titles, and non-confidential summaries of submitted solutions for purposes related to QualTech and associated CMS communications.
• Participants retain ownership of all intellectual property rights in their submissions, except for the limited license granted to CMS under these Terms & Conditions. Participants are responsible for ensuring they have the legal right to submit all materials provided as part of their submission.
• CMS may use information gathered through QualTech for market research, strategic planning, technology evaluation, and future modernization efforts. Participation in QualTech does not guarantee selection, implementation, procurement, partnership, or future business opportunities with CMS.

• CMS is not responsible for any costs incurred by participants in preparing submissions, participating in Phase 2, or engaging in any follow-on discussions or activities related to QualTech.

   

• Submissions will be evaluated based on the following criteria: 
  • Relevance and Impact: Alignment to one of the identified QualTech opportunity areas and the potential to address a meaningful healthcare quality challenge.
  • Innovation and Technical Merit: The degree to which the proposed solution introduces innovative approaches, emerging technologies, or technically sound modernization capabilities.
  • Feasibility and Implementation Potential: The realistic potential for implementation, including technical feasibility, operational complexity, and organizational readiness.
  • Scalability and Broader Applicability: The potential for the proposed solution to expand, adapt, or be applied more broadly across CCSQ, CMS, or other healthcare quality programs.
  • Clarity and Quality of Submission: The quality, completeness, and organization of the submission, including how clearly the participant communicates the proposed solution and its expected value.
• Participants have no right to observe evaluation panel deliberations or receive information regarding the evaluation, scoring, or selection of other submissions. Evaluation results will not be made publicly available.
• Following review of all Phase 1 submissions, up to eight (8) finalists may be selected to advance to Phase 2 and participate in the QualTech Event at CMS Headquarters.

• CMS reserves the right to determine final selections based on evaluation results and programmatic considerations.

   

Phase 1 Submission Process

• Phase 1 submissions close on September 4, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET.
• The submission must be uploaded to the QualTech submission link in PDF format by 11:59 PM ET on September 4, 2026.  Once submitted, Phase 1 submissions cannot be modified before the deadline.
• Please use the following naming convention for all submissions: 
  QualTech2026_Opp#_OrganizationOrTeamName.pdf
  • Replace Opp# with the applicable Opportunity number (Opp 1, Opp2, Opp3, or Opp4) corresponding to the selected QualTech Opportunity Area. 
  • Replace OrganizationOrTeamName with the name of the submitting organization or team. 
  • Example: QualTech2026_Opp2_ABCHealth.pdf
• After completing the upload, participants may send a confirmation email to CCSQQualTech@cms.hhs.gov to notify CMS that their submission has been uploaded and to facilitate verification of successful receipt.
• After CMS completes the Phase 1 evaluation process, up to eight (8) Phase 1 submissions will be selected to advance to Phase 2 of QualTech. The primary point of contact identified for each selected submission will be notified via email by October 13, 2026.
• CMS may contact participants for clarification or additional information during the review process.

 Phase 1 Submission Requirements

• The submission must be in the form of a white paper and consist of a PDF file with at least 1-inch margins and be no more than five (5) pages long, excluding the cover page and a reference list. The font size must be no smaller than 11-point Arial. All submissions must be in English. Participants must not use the CMS logo, official seal, or the logo of HHS in their submissions and must not imply federal government endorsement.
• Submissions must include a cover page with the following information:
  • Submission title
  • Team name or organization name
  • Selected QualTech Opportunity Area
  • Name of the institution(s), company(ies), organization(s), or entities represented (must be U.S.-based entities)
  • Primary point of contact name, title, email, and phone number
  • Certification that the submitting team or organization meets all QualTech eligibility requirements
• Submissions should focus primarily on the proposed technology solution and how it addresses the selected QualTech Opportunity Area. Background information about the submitting team or organization should be limited to information necessary to understand the proposed solution and its ability to address the identified challenge.
• The submission must address the following key components:
  • Executive Summary: A concise overview of the proposed solution (no longer than one page).
  • Proposed Solution: A description of the selected QualTech Opportunity Area and the proposed technology solution.
  • Relevance and Impact: Alignment to one of the identified QualTech opportunity areas and the potential to address a meaningful healthcare quality challenge.
  • Innovation and Technical Merit: The degree to which the proposed solution introduces innovative approaches, emerging technologies, or technically sound modernization capabilities.
  • Feasibility and Implementation Potential: The realistic potential for implementation, including technical feasibility, operational complexity, and organizational readiness. Include estimated timeframe to achieve a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
  • Scalability and Broader Applicability: The potential for the proposed solution to expand, adapt, or be applied more broadly across CCSQ, CMS, or other healthcare quality programs.
• Submissions should be well-organized, clearly written, and effectively communicate technical ideas. Supporting materials (e.g., visuals, figures, diagrams) are encouraged. Supporting materials will be included in the count of five (5) pages. 
• Submissions must not include proprietary or confidential information unless clearly marked.

Phase 2 QualTech Event Preparation & Participation

• Finalist Selection and Notification
  • Based on the Phase 1 evaluation process and published evaluation criteria, up to eight (8) Phase 1 submissions will be selected to advance to Phase 2 of QualTech. 
  • The primary point of contact identified in each selected Phase 1 submission will be notified via email by October 13, 2026. 
• Participation Confirmation
  • Teams and organizations with selected submissions must confirm participation in the QualTech Event by October 19, 2026, by 5:00 PM ET via email to CCSQQualTech@cms.hhs.gov.
  • As part of this confirmation, finalists must provide:
    • Confirmation that they intend to participate in the QualTech Event.
    • The names of up to five (5) designated representatives who will attend and participate in the QualTech Event, in person, on behalf of their submission.
    • Required attendee information needed to support CMS event registration, facility access, and security coordination.
• Participation Eligibility and Access Requirements
  • In accordance with the QualTech Eligibility Requirements, all designated representatives participating in the Phase 2 QualTech Event must be U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents and satisfy all applicable CMS facility access and security requirements.
• Finalist Preparation
  • Following finalist selection, CMS will provide a QualTech Finalist Welcome Packet containing detailed information and instructions to support participation in the Phase 2 QualTech Event.
  • Representatives for each selected submission must prepare a presentation and/or demonstration of the proposed technology solution for the QualTech Event.
  • Presentation materials should clearly align to the originally submitted proposal and selected QualTech opportunity area.
• Travel and Participation Costs
  • Finalists are responsible for all travel, lodging, meals, and any other costs associated with participation in the QualTech Event.
• QualTech Event
  • The QualTech Event will take place on Monday, November 9, 2026, at CMS Headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland, from 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM ET.
  • Representatives for each selected submission will present and demonstrate their solutions to CMS and CCSQ leadership, subject matter experts, and invited stakeholders.
  • Representatives should be prepared to participate in discussions, question-and-answer sessions, and networking opportunities throughout the event.
  • Following finalist selection, CMS will provide a QualTech Finalist Welcome Packet containing detailed information and instructions to support participation in the Phase 2 QualTech Event. The Welcome Packet may include, as applicable:
    • Presentation expectations, templates, run of show, agenda, and applicable accessibility (Section 508) guidance
    • Event logistics, including check-in procedures, name badges, arrival instructions, parking information, cafeteria and nearby dining options, restroom locations, and emergency procedures
    • Visitor registration, required attendee information, CMS badge process, facility access requirements, and security procedures
    • Audio/visual capabilities, demonstration guidance, and other event-day participation instructions

    • Key dates, points of contact, and additional resources needed to prepare for the QualTech Event

       

Q: Can a team or organization submit more than one Phase 1 submission? For example, can the same team or organization submit separate submissions addressing different QualTech opportunity areas?
A: Yes. A team or organization may submit more than one Phase 1 submission. Each submission must address a single QualTech opportunity area and must be submitted as a separate submission consisting of its own white paper. Each submission will be evaluated independently. Submitting multiple Phase 1 submissions does not guarantee that more than one submission from the same team or organization will be selected to advance to Phase 2.

Q: What will CMS do with the information it receives from teams and organizations? 
A: CMS will review all eligible submissions to identify innovative technology solutions aligned with CMS quality priorities. Information received through QualTech may inform market research, technology planning, and future innovation activities. Teams and organizations with selected submissions will be invited to present their proposed solutions during the QualTech Event.

Participation in QualTech does not constitute a contract award, funding opportunity, or commitment by CMS to procure, implement, or further pursue any proposed solution. 

Q: What happens if our submission is not selected to advance to Phase 2? 
A: Teams and organizations whose submissions are not selected to advance to Phase 2 will be notified following completion of the Phase 1 evaluation process. CMS appreciates the time and effort invested by all participants and values every submission received through QualTech. CMS welcomes applicants to submit additional information regarding their submission at any time, but regrets that it will be unable to acknowledge or discuss the contents of any additional information.

Q: Will CMS provide feedback on my submission? 
A: No. CMS will not provide individualized feedback, evaluation scores, reviewer comments, or other evaluation results for Phase 1 submissions. Participants are encouraged to review the published Evaluation Criteria prior to submitting their Phase 1 submission.

Q: Who do I contact if I have questions about QualTech or experience technical issues during the submission process? 
A: Questions regarding QualTech, the Phase 1 submission process, or technical issues should be directed to CCSQQualTech@cms.hhs.gov. CMS will make reasonable efforts to respond to inquiries in a timely manner and may update the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section, as appropriate, to address questions of broad interest. Participants are encouraged to submit their materials well in advance of the submission deadline. CMS cannot guarantee that technical issues reported close to the submission deadline can be resolved before the submission period closes.