Issued2026-01-29

Clinical Decision Support Software

Final RuleSector

Summary

Final FDA guidance clarifying which clinical decision support software functions are excluded from device regulation under the 21st Century Cures Act and which remain regulated device software, with examples across different CDS use cases.

Healthcare Implications

Directly shapes the regulatory treatment of clinical AI and decision-support tools used by providers, developers, and health systems by clarifying when software falls outside FDA device oversight and when it remains subject to medical device requirements.

Impact Level

Medium

Keywords

Clinical Quality & Efficacy; Transparency & Governance; Safety & Risk

Stakeholders

Developers & Vendors; Providers & Health Systems; Regulators & Government