| | | | |  | | By Carmen Paun, Daniel Payne, Ruth Reader, Erin Schumaker and Evan Peng | | | | | 
CVS says any AI it uses will be safe and secure. | Michael Dwyer/AP | The White House is moving forward with rules to govern AI in health – some are set to take effect next year. In the interim, it’s been busy securing promises. Most recently, two dozen health care providers and payers promised they’d ensure the safe, secure and trustworthy use of artificial intelligence in health care, the White House said Thursday. The companies, which range from Boston Children’s Hospital to CVS Health to Premera Blue Cross, committed to: — Inform users whenever they receive content that is largely AI-generated and not reviewed or edited by people. — Monitor and address harms AI applications might cause. — Develop AI solutions that advance equitable treatment of different patient populations, expand access to care, make care affordable, coordinate care to improve outcomes, reduce clinician burnout, and otherwise improve the patient experience. When announcing the voluntary commitments, the White House outlined some of the potential dangers of AI use in health care, including providing gender- or race-biased diagnoses or putting patients’ privacy at risk. It also highlighted the “enormous potential to benefit patients, doctors, and hospital staff” in improved care and reduced costs, so long as the risks of AI are mitigated.
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Winchester, Conn. | Shawn Zeller/POLITICO | | This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. There may be a point to daydreaming in affecting how the brain perceives reality, Harvard researchers found in a new study of mice. Share any thoughts, news, tips and feedback with Carmen Paun at cpaun@politico.com, Daniel Payne at dpayne@politico.com, Evan Peng at epeng@politico.com, Ruth Reader at rreader@politico.com or Erin Schumaker at eschumaker@politico.com. Send tips securely through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp. Today on our Pulse Check podcast, host Megan Messerly talks with POLITICO health care reporter Ben Leonard, who explains the next steps Congress must take to get pending health care legislation passed.
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Like the rest of us, doctors aren't sure what to make of AI. | Adam Berry/Getty Images | Doctors are split down the middle over what AI will mean for them. How so? Most doctors see at least some advantage in using the technology, but their level of concern almost exactly matches their level of excitement, according to a survey from the American Medical Association. The analysis, which refers to AI as augmented intelligence as well as artificial intelligence, found doctors see the most promise in the technology’s potential in diagnostics and improved efficiency in their practices. When asked what use cases would be most relevant to their practices, doctors pointed to paperwork: Billing codes, medical charts, visit notes and prior authorization responses topping their lists. Even so: Docs also see AI as a threat to their relationships with patients and the privacy of those they see, according to a survey of nearly 1,100 physicians. What would encourage AI adoption? Those surveyed point to data privacy assurances, protection from liability for AI errors and product validation from trusted third parties.
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African nations hope a new manufacturing initiative will free them from dependence on others. | Simon Maina/AFP via Getty Images | African governments’ efforts to achieve self-reliance in vaccine production after waiting in line during the Covid-19 pandemic just got a boost. How so? Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance — one of the largest purchasers of shots in the world — said it would offer up to $1 billion over the next decade to support African vaccine manufacturers through a new initiative called the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator. The $1 billion comes from the $2.5 billion left unspent from money dedicated to buying Covid vaccines for the world’s poorest countries. Another portion will help countries catch up on routine immunizations and set aside funds to purchase vaccines in the event of a new global health emergency. The accelerator, which will launch in June in France, will offer incentive payments to manufacturers in Africa when they get a World Health Organization endorsement to make vaccines for infections that Gavi has set as priority, which include cholera, malaria, measles-rubella and yellow fever. “What needed to be done was not have Gavi in the business of trying to pick winners and losers,” said Atul Gawande, the U.S. Agency for International Development global health chief, who sits on the Gavi board. How they’ll compete: Manufacturers that use technologies able to produce vaccines in a pandemic, such as vector vaccines or mRNA, would get the biggest incentive of $25 million, Gavi said. The accelerator will also offer subsidies of up to $0.50 per vaccine dose to help African manufacturers compete with established, large-scale producers from other parts of the world. That could alleviate some of the skepticism about whether African manufacturing makes sense. It can take up to a decade for vaccine manufacturers to build their competitiveness, and the subsidies will help African producers do that, Gawande told Carmen. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
