The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a statement HHS Strategic Plan for Artificial IntelligenceThe agency says it will “initiate a coordinated public-private approach to improve quality, safety, efficiency, accessibility, equity and outcomes in health and human services through the innovative, safe and responsible use of AI.”
The strategic plan focuses on four key goals in public health, health care delivery, medical research and other areas, according to HHS:
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Catalyzing AI innovation and adoption in healthcare to unlock new ways to improve people’s lives.
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Promoting trustworthy AI development and ethical and responsible use to prevent potential harm.
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Democratizing AI technologies and tools to promote access.
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Cultivating AI-enabled workforces and organizational cultures to use AI effectively and safely.
“Artificial intelligence has or will directly or indirectly impact every American’s health and human services experience,” HHS officials said. “Therefore, the development and deployment of AI in healthcare and human services must focus on providing tangible benefits to people who use or receive these services.”
The complete plan, which covers almost 200 pagesis intended to promote potential benefits such as:
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Accelerating scientific breakthroughs that can increase the quality and length of life.
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Used as part of a medical product or to develop medical products to improve safety and effectiveness.
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Improving clinical outcomes and increasing safety through healthcare innovations.
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Improving equity and empowering participants by improving health and human services benefits.
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Predicting risks and rapidly mobilizing resources to predict and respond to public health threats.
HHS says the guidelines can help improve the adoption of AI in medical research and discovery, and aim to encourage safe use of AI in various disease areas and promote more AI-ready data standards. That includes funding for research programs that develop or use AI in medical research and discovery – such as NIH’s Bridge2AI and ARPA-H’s Transforming Antibiotic R&D with GenAI to Stop Emerging Threats (TARGET). Going forward, the agency says it plans to issue interoperability guidelines to “engage the public and continue to prioritize safe, responsible, and responsive AI in the funding of both intramural and extramural research programs.”
Meanwhile, HHS acknowledges that “AI use in medical research and discovery may pose biosafety, privacy, bias, and other risks.” To that end, the agency will soon share national guidance specific to AI in healthcare, build sandboxes for industry collaboration, and explore the use of AI for dynamic AI risk assessment. The goal is to better protect AI models and health data from adversarial attacks, while enabling data-sharing protocols that protect sensitive health information and mechanisms to reduce harm from misuse of predictive analytics.
To achieve the goal of democratizing AI technologies and tools, HHS says it is working with several communities — it cites NIH’s Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Consortium to Advance Health Equity and Research Diversity, or AIM-AHEAD as one — and standardizes research data (such as at NIH’s Common Data Element Repository) to promote public-private partnerships and multi-institutional research collaborations. It also aims to ensure equitable access to AI, especially for traditionally underserved populations, such as rural communities and people with disabilities.
Meanwhile, HHS hopes to ensure “successful and safe long-term adoption of AI in medical research and discovery, AI talent pipelines, and organizational operating models,” and is supporting that goal with internal talent development, including NIH’s Data and Technology Advancement (DATA) National Service Scholar -program. “HHS will continue to promote apprenticeship programs focused on AI in medical research and discovery activities to strengthen the talent pipeline and share AI governance guidance to help organizations foster robust AI-based cultures.”
Initial responses to the HHS plan have been supportive so far.
Premier Inc. for example, notes that it “aligns directly” with many of Premier’s AI policies recommendations for the safe use of AI to empower the healthcare workforce, advance healthcare equity, and advance value-based care.
“Premier has long been a proponent of a responsible regulatory framework for artificial intelligence for healthcare that promotes transparency and promotes patient safety while supporting innovation,” Soumi Saha, the group’s senior vice president of government affairs, said in a statement. “Premier is especially encouraged by the plan’s recognition of the power of AI to revolutionize healthcare supply chain resilience, as Premier has witnessed firsthand the benefits of AI-driven insights into limiting disruptions and shortages.”
Mike Miliard is editor-in-chief of Healthcare IT News
Email the writer: mike.miliard@himssmedia.com
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS publication.