The Standard

CMS, ONC & Industry Leaders Deliver Comprehensive ePA Update Sept. 30

Electronic prior authorization (ePA) has moved beyond concept and pilot testing. Payers, providers, and vendors are now actively in production or building toward production. That shift raises a natural question for the industry: where does the industry stand today, and what's the path from here?

Join the HL7 Da Vinci Project for the September Community Roundtable on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, from 4 – 5:30 p.m. ET. This session will provide a concise overview of the latest regulatory and policy developments, including updates on federal activities, followed by the current status of the Da Vinci Prior Authorization Implementation Guides, pilots and related resources that are helping organizations prepare for implementation.

Featured Presenters

• Karen Ashton, MultiCare Connected Care
• Michael Gould, ZeOmega and HL7 Da Vinci Project Architecture Group
• David Koppel, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
• Lloyd McKenzie, Dogwood Health Consulting and HL7 Da Vinci Project
• Jeffery Smith, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC)
• Denise St. Clair, Global Alliant Inc and HL7 Da Vinci Project PMO
• Moderator: Casey Thompson, HL7 Da Vinci Project Program Coordinator; Consultant, Point-of-Care Partners

Participants will learn about industry readiness efforts, implementation support resources, and the growing ecosystem of tools available through Da Vinci. The session will explore the latest ePA capabilities, including current and emerging implementation guide versions, highlighting how organizations are advancing from planning to real-world deployment.

The program concludes with a panel discussion where panelists will share lessons learned, discuss known implementation challenges, explore how industry stakeholders are collaborating to achieve scalable success, and provide insight into the evolution of standards and future versions of the Da Vinci implementation guides.

Whether your organization is just beginning its ePA journey or already moving into production, this session will provide practical guidance, implementation perspectives, and a clear view of where electronic prior authorization is headed next.

Three Industry Leaders Highlight Best Practices on August 26

As health data exchange expands nationwide, overcoming technical and operational barriers requires strong cross-industry alignment. Establishing scalable, patient-centered interoperability depends on bridging the gaps between technical standards, policy efforts, and practical implementation.

Join the HL7 Da Vinci Project for the August Community Roundtable on Wednesday, August 26, 2026 from 4 – 5:30 p.m. ET, featuring industry leaders from the HL7 Da Vinci Project, The Sequoia Project’s Interoperability Matters initiative and FHIR at Scale Taskforce (FAST). Hear exclusive updates on recent Da Vinci milestones and community engagement opportunities, followed by an in-depth panel discussion on how real-world collaboration enables scalable health data exchange.

Featured Presenters

• Didi Davis, Vice President, Informatics, Conformance & Interoperability, The Sequoia Project
• Janice Reese, FAST Program Manager; Senior Consultant, Point-of-Care Partners
• Casey Thompson, HL7 Da Vinci Project Program Coordinator; Consultant, Point-of-Care Partners

Uniting Standards, Policy, and Implementation

Attendees will gain actionable implementation experiences, lessons learned, and emerging best practices to build trusted, scalable infrastructure and align workflows with regulatory requirements. The discussion will highlight how cross-industry collaboration overcomes critical friction points, including patient identity, authorization, consent, endpoint discovery, data quality, data usability, and workflow alignment, while opening practical opportunities to participate in upcoming pilots and testing.

Key takeaways include:

• Why scalable, secure infrastructure matters for nationwide exchange
• How technical standards and clinical workflows work together in practice
• The pivotal role of data quality and usability in meaningful interoperability
• Opportunities to participate in real-world testing and pilots
• Actionable ways to learn more and get involved in ongoing initiatives

Whether you are a payer, provider organization, health IT vendor, or regulatory stakeholder, this session offers emerging best practices and practical lessons learned to support compliance, boost efficiency, and improve patient-centered data exchange.