TL/DR –
A white paper has been released by HealthFORCE, the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA), and West Health, calling on the US to update its laws and regulations to fully utilize artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare. The report details how AI could be used to relieve the strain on the healthcare system, highlighting tools such as virtual care coordination systems, ambient documentation, and personalized clinical education. However, it also stresses that for AI to be effective, outdated supervision requirements must be removed, providers must be allowed to use digital platforms independently, and reimbursement models must be updated.
A White Paper Calls for Law Modernization to Maximize AI in Healthcare
A report from HealthFORCE, AAPA, and West Health advocates for policy changes to leverage AI’s potential in healthcare.
A new white paper urges federal and state policymakers to update current laws, regulations, and payment systems to unlock the full power of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare.
The report, “Aging Well with AI: Transforming Care Delivery,” is a collaboration between HealthFORCE, American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA), and West Health, developed by The LINUS Group. The study is part of a two-part series exploring AI’s potential to enhance care teams and reduce pressure on the healthcare system.
CEO of AAPA and founder of HealthFORCE, Lisa M. Gables, asserts that policy reform is needed to effectively use AI to address workforce shortages and bring care to more people.
The paper presents AI tools as solutions to the impending shortfall of 3.2 million healthcare workers by 2026 and the increasing complexity of caring for an aging population. The paper explores promising AI tools like ambient documentation, virtual care coordination, and personalized clinical education, all of which are showing positive results in pilot programs.
A Risk/Impact Matrix is proposed to guide AI adoption and policy prioritization, suggesting the acceleration of low-risk, high-impact applications like Ambient AI Scribes, AI-Supported Care Coordination, and On-Demand Clinical Training.
The paper identifies the need for policy changes, warning that even the most promising tools will fail without modernization. Some necessary changes include:
- Modernizing Practice Laws: Enabling providers to practice at the extent of their training.
- Shifting Payment Models: Encouraging continuity, outcomes, and technology-enabled care over volume-based reimbursements.
- Streamlining Documentation Requirements: Adjusting federal billing rules to match AI capacities.
- Establishing National AI Standards: Creating frameworks to guide AI deployment in healthcare.
West Health’s Chief Medical Officer, Zia Agha, MD, emphasizes the need for modern systems and policies to fully utilize AI in improving healthcare operations.
The Aging Well with AI series concludes that AI can mitigate the healthcare workforce crisis if the policy crisis is addressed first. Both reports are available on HealthFORCE’s website.
Media Contact: Jenni Roberson, 703.380.2764
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