Source: Health Affairs
The Department of Health and Human Services through the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) recently published the “Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability,” (HTI-1) final rule, which includes first-of-its-kind federal requirements for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)-based predictive software in health care. This rule impacts a wide range of technologies—referred to as predictive decision support interventions (predictive DSIs)—and directly applies to health information technology, including electronic health records (EHRs), which ONC certifies as having specific technical capabilities. Certified EHRs, which more than 96 percent of hospitals and 78 percent of office-based clinicians use nationwide, are the foundation of digital health care in the US. ONC’s vision is for better health enabled by data, and policies established in our recent history have supported an explosion of health data made available through EHRs. Today, we believe that AI and ML—increasingly powered by data from certified health IT and injected into day-to-day workflows within certified health IT—will have a growing impact on how health decisions are made—particularly those directly affecting patients’ lives. And while we are AI optimists, we also recognize the potential for negative impacts from AI. A primary goal of the HTI-1 final rule is to address these concerns by promoting the development and use of AI in health care that is fair, appropriate, valid, effective, and safe (FAVES).