White House receives commitments from major healthcare players on AI safety and ethics

Less than two months since the Biden administration released its radical decree on artificial intelligenceThe White House on Thursday announced new commitments to AI transparency, risk management and accountability from more than two dozen leading healthcare organizations.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT
The White House EO, who was published on October 30, and contains a wide range of provisions focused on “safe, secure, and trustworthy” AI across many sectors of the economy, contains several healthcare-specific provisions in its nearly 20,000 words. Specifically, it directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to establish a mechanism to collect reports of “harm or unsafe health care practices.”

On December 14 – coinciding with the inaugural day of the HIMSS AI in Healthcare Forum in San Diego – the Biden administration announced new voluntary commitments from the private sector regarding the safety and security of AI in healthcare .

Specifically, a cohort of 28 providers and payers today announced voluntary commitments to more transparent and trusted use, purchasing, and use of AI-based tools, as well as efforts to develop their machine models in a more responsible manner. They are:

• Allina Health

• Bassett Health Network

• Boston Children’s Hospital

• Curai Health

• CVS Health

• Dedicated health

• Duke Health

• Emory Health

• Health Effort

• Fairview Health Systems

• Geisinger

• Hackensack Meridian

• HealthFirst (Florida)

• Houston Methodist

• Health of John Muir

• Keck Medicine

• Mainline Health

• General Brigham’s Mass

• Medical University of South Carolina

• Oscar Health

• OSF Healthcare

• Premera Blue Cross

• Rush University System for Health

• Health Sanford

• Tuft medicine

• UC San Diego Health

• UC Davis Health

• Health WellSpan

“The commitments received today will serve to align industry action on AI with the “FAVES” principles – that AI should lead to health outcomes that are equitable, appropriate, valid, effective and safe,” said Lael Brainard, National Economic Advisor, Domestic Policy. Advisor Neera Tanden and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy Arati Prabhakar at announcing the new commitment of these leading organizations.

As part of this agreement, health establishments promised:

1. Inform patients and customers when they are showing them content that is primarily AI-generated and not reviewed or edited by people.

2. Adopt and adhere to a risk management framework for the use of AI-based applications, which will help them monitor and mitigate potential harm.

3. Study and develop new approaches to AI that “advance health equity, expand access to care, make care affordable, coordinate care to improve outcomes, reduce clinician burnout, and otherwise improve patient experience”.

THE BIGGEST TREND
The new commitments come during a busy week of news for AI in healthcare. Wednesday, the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Informatics published its health data, technology and interoperability: certification program updates, algorithm transparency and final information sharing rule, or HTI-1.

Among other provisions focused on interoperability and information blocking, the much-anticipated regulations focus particularly on the transparency of AI algorithms. They include requirements that predictive algorithms included in certified health informatics “enable clinical users to access a consistent, baseline set of information about the algorithms they use to support their decision making and to evaluate these algorithms in terms of fairness, relevance, validity and effectiveness. and safety,” according to the ONC.

Meanwhile, in San Diego, hundreds of clinical and technology leaders are currently gathered at HIMSS Forum on AI in Healthcare to explore the promises and risks of artificial intelligence in all its manifestations – focusing on the challenges and opportunities related to regulation, patient safety, privacy and security, explainability and to many other imperatives. Come back to Healthcare IT News in the coming days and weeks for more coverage and videos from the show.

ON THE FILE
“We must remain vigilant to realize the promise of AI to improve health outcomes,” White House officials said in touting new promises from health organizations. “Without proper testing, risk mitigation, and human oversight, AI-based tools used for clinical decisions can make mistakes that are costly at best – and dangerous at worst.

“The private sector commitments announced today are a critical step in our society-wide efforts to advance AI for the health and well-being of Americans,” they added. “These 28 providers and payers have stepped up, and we hope more will join these commitments in the weeks to come.”