WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESS Newswire / March 9, 2026 / DirectTrust®, a non-profit healthcare industry alliance focused on furthering trust in healthcare technology and data exchange through standards, accreditation, and other services, today announced a 60-day public comment period for the draft criteria of its Artificial Intelligence (AI) v1.0 Accreditation Program, open through May 5, 2026.

Artificial Intelligence v1.0 builds upon the previously released AI v1.0-Beta program and remains aligned directly and exclusively with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF) v1.0. The criteria establishes structured requirements for organizations developing or deploying artificial intelligence in healthcare, emphasizing governance, transparency, risk management, performance evaluation, and ongoing oversight.

DirectTrust's AI v1.0 introduces a formal two-level structure. The program's Foundational and Comprehensive accreditation levels reflect both the organization of the NIST AI RMF and the varying stages of AI maturity across the healthcare ecosystem.

The Foundational level corresponds to NIST's "Govern" and "Map" functions and is intended for organizations that have established AI governance policies and procedures but have not yet fully deployed AI systems into production. The Comprehensive level builds on the Foundational level and incorporates the "Measure" and "Manage" functions and is designed for organizations with AI systems implemented and operational.

"AI cannot be implemented responsibly without clear governance and measurable oversight," said Lesley Berkeyheiser, Senior Director of Accreditation Strategy and Development. "The Artificial Intelligence v1.0 criteria maintain strict alignment with the NIST AI Risk Management Framework while introducing Foundational and Comprehensive pathways that mirror how AI is actually adopted in healthcare. This ensures organizations can demonstrate accountable AI practices at every stage of maturity."

The tiered structure offers a modular path to AI implementation aligned to organizational maturity. Organizations can begin with the Foundational level to establish governance and map their AI ecosystem, then progress to the Comprehensive level as their measurement, monitoring, and management capabilities mature. This approach supports responsible innovation while reinforcing consistency, accountability, and risk-based oversight.

DirectTrust criteria for each of its accreditation programs establish the stakeholder- and program-specific foundational requirements for assessing an organization's ability to align with federal and state healthcare mandates and nationally recognized standards and best practices. The Artificial Intelligence v1.0 program extends this framework to the rapidly evolving domain of AI, supporting healthcare organizations seeking structured, standards-based validation of their AI risk management practices.

During the 60-day public review period, all interested stakeholders are encouraged to provide DirectTrust with opinions, comments, and suggestions that will prove helpful in determining the necessity, appropriateness, and workability of the criteria proposed for adoption after being reviewed and approved by the Commission. The comment form can be accessed at bit.ly/CriteriaComment.

Visit the DirectTrust program criteria page to review the latest Artificial Intelligence v1.0 criteria.

About DirectTrust®
DirectTrust® is a non-profit, vendor-neutral alliance dedicated to establishing trust in a connected world. The organization serves as a forum for a consensus-driven community focused on health communication and cybersecurity, an ANSI standards development organization, an accreditation and certification body governed by EHNAC, and a developer of technical trust frameworks and supportive services for secure information exchange like Direct Secure Messaging and identity-verified credentials.

The goal of DirectTrust is to develop, promote, and, as necessary, help enforce the rules and best practices necessary to maintain privacy, security, and trust for stakeholders across and beyond healthcare. In addition, DirectTrust is committed to fostering widespread public confidence in the interoperable exchange of health information while promoting quality service, innovation, cooperation, and open competition in healthcare. To learn more, visit: DirectTrust.org.

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Media contact:
Dave Anderson
andersoni.com
[email protected]

SOURCE: DirectTrust



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