As augmented intelligence (AI) continues to take root in health care, AMA experts have been front and center in advising and helping guide national policy as the technology—commonly referred to as artificial intelligence—continues to evolve.
Ahead of the launch of the new AMA Center for Digital Health and AI last month, AMA experts shared policy and principles with lawmakers through numerous congressional committees and explained why they are important considerations when shaping the future of AI in health care.
As lawmakers seek to learn about this fast-moving area and look to create policy around the technology, AMA experts also have shared research and data with lawmakers and made recommendations. The AMA refers to AI as augmented intelligence to emphasize that the technology should enhance human intelligence rather than replace it.
One big-picture message, central both to AMA principles and the founding of the Center for Digital Health and AI: Physicians must remain at the forefront of decision-making when it comes to AI adoption, and physicians must be actively engaged in reviewing and validating AI outputs to maintain clinical accuracy and safeguard patient safety.
“This expertise cannot be substituted and is essential for determining whether AI technologies meet the high standards required for health care,” the AMA said in a statement (PDF) submitted last month to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee for its hearing titled “AI’s Potential to Support Patients, Workers, Children and Families.”
“Physicians must play a central role in the ethical development, deployment and utilization of AI technologies in health care, as their clinical expertise is indispensable in ensuring these tools are safe, effective and trustworthy,” the AMA statement says. “Establishing strong digital health foundations, including telehealth infrastructure, robust privacy and security protections and seamless interoperability, is critical to enabling this transformation.”
When AI-powered technologies are implemented properly, the AMA said, they “hold significant potential to enhance patient-centered care, improve clinical outcomes and reduce costs.”
But the AMA’s statement emphasizes that the inherent risks of AI technology necessitate ongoing oversight and governance, noting that physicians’ expertise “cannot be substituted and is essential for determining whether AI technologies meet the high standards required for health care.”
From AI implementation to digital health adoption and EHR usability, the AMA is fighting to make technology work for physicians, ensuring that it is an asset to doctors.
Focus areas for health AI’s future
The AMA statement submitted to the Senate HELP Committee outlines these four key considerations for lawmakers to focus on to ensure that the development, deployment and use of AI in health care are transparent, responsible and equitable.
Physicians should be full partners at every stage of the AI lifecycle. From AI design to clinical integration, physicians need to be full partners throughout the process. Clinical experts are uniquely qualified to determine whether an AI tool is valid for a given indication, that it aligns with the standard of care and supports rather than disrupts the patient-physician relationship.
There should be a coordinated, transparent, whole-government approach. There needs to be clarity and consistency for developers, deployers and end users, including physicians and patients. With health care AI posing risks to patients’ health and well-being, federal entities must act together to create a coordinated and coherent oversite ecosystem. Fragmented or duplicative rules would slow innovation and confuse clinicians.
Secure data that is free from bias is needed to enhance trust and confidence. This applies for both physician and patient trust and includes how data is used to develop and train AI models, what data is used and how potential bias is mitigated to ensure that AI tools are effective and safe. It also includes ensuring that privacy, which is paramount in health care, is at the forefront. Strong deidentification and consent safeguards are needed. The AMA advocates strong governance to ensure data privacy and security, including transparency to patients and physicians about how data is used and protected.
The physician workforce’s upskilling is critical to advancing adoption. Investments in physician education—in medical school and through CME for practicing physicians—will help increase understanding and allow physicians to appropriately assess AI tools. It also helps enhance trust and comfort in physicians adopting the technology. The AMA has key initiatives in this area focused on introductory AI concepts, establishing AI governance and implementing AI tools in practice (PDF).
Putting doctors at innovation’s heart
The new AMA Center for Digital Health and AI, launched in October, will address these key areas that are pivotal to the long-term success of these technologies:
- Policy and regulatory leadership—working with regulators, policymakers and technology leaders to shape benchmarks for safe and effective use of AI in medicine and digital health tools.
- Clinical workflow integration—creating opportunities for physicians to shape AI and digital tools so they work within clinical workflows and enhance patient and clinician experience.
- Education and training—equipping physicians and health systems with knowledge and tools to integrate AI efficiently and effectively into practice.
- Collaboration—building partnerships across the tech, research, government and health care sectors to drive innovation aligned with patient needs.
Learn more by exploring the AMA STEPS Forward® toolkit, “Governance for Augmented Intelligence,” a comprehensive eight-step guide for health care organizations to establish a governance framework to implement, manage and scale AI solutions.
And discover how participants in the AMA Health System Member Program are using AI to make meaningful change.
Also, learn more with the AMA about the emerging landscape of health care AI. And find out how to apply AI to transform health care with the “AMA ChangeMedEd® Artificial Intelligence in Health Care Series.”
