Health data policy takes center stage in Senate AI hearing

On March 5, 2026, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions held a full committee hearing titled Transforming Health Care with Data: Improving Patient Outcomes Through Next-Generation Care.

What happened

In his March 5, 2026, testimony before the Senate Committee, Thomas Keane, Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy and National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at HHS, discussed the data infrastructure that makes AI use in healthcare possible. Federal policy has moved from digitizing records to requiring standardized application programming interfaces, broader patient access, and rules against information blocking under the 21st Century Cures Act, all to make electronic health information easier to access and exchange.

Keane placed his March 5 testimony squarely in that tradition when he said his top priority is greater data liquidity and argued that modern data standards, combined with AI, can improve affordability, access, and outcomes. HTI-4 is meant to make prescribing and prior authorization data available inside clinical workflows, while TEFCA is meant to serve as the trusted national exchange layer. Keane said TEFCA now connects more than 70,000 locations and supports exchange for well over 400 million health records.

The March 6 Nextgov/FCW coverage shows why that testimony also matters as an AI governance story: senators from both parties raised concerns that once patients obtain and upload their health data into third-party AI tools.

What was said

According to the testimony document, “No patient should be treated like a stranger at their next health care encounter simply because their records did not follow them. Patients and their caregivers must be able to see accurate, up-to-date health information in one place, rather than spending days or weeks chasing records that should be available in seconds. Access to data will empower patients to take control of their own health and help inform providers’ clinical decision-making, which can lead to improved care and patient safety. “

Why it matters

What began with digitizing records and was later accelerated by the 21st Century Cures Act through APIs, patient access rights, and rules against information blocking now has a second purpose by making health data usable inside AI-enabled workflows. Keane made that link directly when he testified that modern data standards, combined with AI, can make care more affordable and accessible, while also presenting TEFCA as the nationwide backbone for trusted exchange.

That matters because, as one JMIR Formative Research puts it, “AI-driven technology research and development for health care outpaces the creation of supporting AI governance globally.” In other words, more data liquidity can improve care, but it also raises the stakes around privacy, consent, oversight, and accountability when that same data is shared with AI tools.

See also: HIPAA Compliant Email: The Definitive Guide (2026 Update)

FAQs

What is the function of TEFCA?

TEFCA functions as a nationwide framework for health information sharing that is meant to remove barriers to exchanging electronic health records among providers, patients, public health agencies, and payers.

What is the HTI-4 rule?

The HTI-4 rule is an HHS health IT rule that updates certification criteria for electronic prescribing.

What is the 21st Century Cures Act?

The 21st Century Cures Act is a 2016 federal law that, in the health IT context, drives interoperability, patient access to electronic health information, and limits information blocking.