What happened
EFF obtained about 1,000 pages of CMS documents through its FOIA lawsuit filed in March, revealing delays, denials, and financial incentives in the WISeR AI model. The records show requests sometimes waited up to 83 days and vendors denied 5,944 requests in the first three months. Providers report patient harm linked to the rushed rollout and technical failures.
Why it matters for trust and compliance
- Its status is filed. The case is still open; the outcome may change what it means.
- The disclosure highlights how an AI‑driven Medicare prior‑authorization system may compromise patient access and raise privacy and bias concerns.
Who is affected
healthcare government controller processor Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Virtix Innovaccer
Recommended actions
- Check that privacy notices describe the practices this addresses.
- Confirm access, correction, deletion and opt-out requests are handled within the required time.
- Inventory AI or automated decision systems in scope and their assessments.
- Confirm handling of sensitive data categories meets the stricter rules.