AOiA Positioned as Early Leader as CMS Elevates Digital Health Evaluation Nationwide

CHICAGO, March 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Osteopathic Information Association (AOiA) applauds the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for launching the Medicare App Library, a new national directory of rigorously evaluated digital health applications for Medicare beneficiaries. The initiative represents a major federal commitment to ensuring that patients have access to safe, evidence‑based digital health solutions; a commitment that directly reflects the standards AOiA embraced years earlier through its partnership with the Digital Medicine Society (DiMe Seal).

As one of the initial adopters of the DiMe Seal, AOiA proactively aligned the osteopathic community with the same criteria CMS is now using for national digital health evaluations. The emerging leadership ensured that osteopathic physicians could navigate the rapidly expanding digital health marketplace with confidence while remaining grounded in the profession's whole‑person, patient‑centered philosophy of care.

"AOiA's early adoption of the DiMe Seal ensured that our physicians and their patients were ahead of this moment," said Robert G. G. Piccinini, DO, American Osteopathic Association president. "CMS's Medicare App Library now brings national visibility to the same rigorous standards we have championed that strengthen safety, trust, and clinical value across patient‑facing technologies."

CMS's decision to use the DiMe Seal as a recognized evaluation pathway for its forthcoming Medicare App Library further reflects a shared vision. AOiA has long advocated for meticulous digital health standards, and CMS just elevated those standards nationally. The Medicare App Library offers tools that support people with Medicare through streamlined check‑ins, AI‑enabled assistance, and chronic disease management, which are all areas where trustworthy health programs remain essential. These requirements mirror the core principles that guide AOiA's digital health strategy and reinforce the osteopathic commitment to improving care through responsible, patient‑focused innovation.

The new Medicare App Library will offer beneficiaries a trusted listing of patient‑facing tools integrated with CMS Aligned Networks. These tools fall within three major categories:

• "Kill the Clipboard" applications replacing manual check‑ins
• AI‑based conversational assistants to enhance access and patient guidance
• Diabetes and obesity management tools, addressing prevalent chronic conditions among Medicare patients.

All participating apps must undergo meticulous evaluation for privacy, security, evidence, usability, and equity—criteria that mirror the stringent standards embedded in the DiMe Seal program.

"AOiA's early adoption of the DiMe Seal ensured that our physicians could navigate the growing digital health marketplace with confidence," said Kathleen S. Creason, CEO of the American Osteopathic Association. "This alignment ensures that osteopathic physicians and their patients benefit from carefully vetted tools that provide true clinical value."

AOiA & DiMe: A Relationship Established Early

Years before CMS designated the DiMe Seal as a formal vetting mechanism, AOiA had already committed to prioritizing DiMe‑Seal validated digital health tools. AOiA adopted the DiMe Seal to identify high‑quality, evidence‑backed digital health software solutions for osteopathic physicians nationwide.

"We built the DiMe Seal to give digital health developers a clear, credible, and structured way to prove the quality of their products to the markets and the populations they serve," said Benjamin Vandendriessche, PhD, president and chief scientific officer of DiMe. "The AOIA recognized this critical need early on and has been an instrumental partner in building this into a national-scale platform."

This intentional alignment positioned AOiA as an early leader in advancing trustworthy digital health standards.

"The osteopathic profession's strategic partnership with the DiMe Seal represents the most transformative contribution to medical innovation, patient safety, and quality care that osteopathic medicine has delivered in a century," said Cole Zanetti, DO, digital health director at Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine. "By championing rigorous, evidence-based standards for digital health technologies that will serve 68 million Medicare beneficiaries, the osteopathic community has positioned itself at the vanguard of healthcare's digital transformation."

And now, with CMS embracing the same trusted standards, there remains a nationwide elevation of digital health quality, establishing a win for providers, innovators, and patients.

"AOA and AOiA's leadership strive continuously to encourage digital health companies to incorporate a responsible patient-centered focus that accommodates osteopathic thinking and principals," said Norman Vinn, DO, a board-certified past president of the American Osteopathic Association. "The AOiA partnership with the DiMe Seal in certifying the integrity of emerging technologies should be a source of pride for our members, and indeed, for all US osteopathic physicians."

About AOiA
The American Osteopathic Information Association (AOiA) serves as the premier catalyst for health care transformation and innovation by the osteopathic community. Our mission is to advance the osteopathic profession through advocacy, member-focused resources, strategic partnerships and innovative data-driven health solutions. 

About AOA

The AOA represents more than 207,000 osteopathic physicians and medical students, promotes public health and serves as the primary certifying body for DOs. To learn more about DOs and the osteopathic philosophy of medicine, visit www.osteopathic.org

SOURCE American Osteopathic Association