FDA Hints At Space for Innovation in Regulating Health IT

Information technology is changing health care. Federal regulators are looking to draft rules to protect patient safety in this new landscape.

The Food and Drug Administration is trying to draw up a framework for the FDA, the Federal Communications Commission and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology to regulate information technology related to medical devices, electronic health records, and other health IT, the Washington Post reports.

The recent report on the plan is out for public comment and "signals that the FDA might pursue a loose regulatory framework for some elements of health-care IT, allowing technologists to innovate without being burdened by federal oversight, said Gartner analyst Wes Rishel," the Post further reports.