AI’s a surgeon’s X-ray vision

The ideas and innovators shaping health care

Nov 27, 2023 View in browser   By Ruth Reader, Daniel Payne, Erin Schumaker and Evan Peng OPERATING TABLE AI could give cancer surgeons a better view of tumors. Everyone talks about how artificial intelligence can assist doctors, but what does that mean? For Dr. Wayne Brisbane, assistant professor of urology at UCLA, it means he can approach prostate cancer surgeries with a more accurate picture of what he can expect to find. “Prostate cancer is a tricky disease,” he told Ruth, adding that it can be hard to know exactly how far a given tumor reaches. “I think about it like an octopus or crab. There’s a big body, but it’s got these little tentacles that extend out.” Those tentacles don’t appear on imaging scans, making it difficult for him to plan his surgeries. He’s started using Unfold AI, a technology that generates a heat map of the tumor based on biopsy and medical imaging. A 2023 study found the technology diagnoses clinically significant prostate cancer 97 percent of the time. The AI has a marketing clearance from the FDA and medical coding from the American Medical Association allowing for insurance reimbursement starting in July 2024. In addition to providing information that can help Brisbane determine the best treatment approach, it’s also a great tool for teaching patients about their cancer, he said. “Everybody wants the thing that’s the minimum amount with no side effects,” he said. “But I also tell them not every cancer is appropriate for that.” Even so: Unfold AI requires a fusion biopsy, which blends ultrasound and MRI imaging and uses expensive machinery not all health systems have. What’s next? “I think we’re in our honeymoon phase,” said Brisbane of early AI in medicine. He believes the next wave of AI will use data targeted to specific use cases.   GO INSIDE THE CAPITOL DOME: From the outset, POLITICO has been your eyes and ears on Capitol Hill, providing the most thorough Congress coverage — from political characters and emerging leaders to leadership squabbles and policy nuggets during committee markups and hearings. We're stepping up our game to ensure you’re fully informed on every key detail inside the Capitol Dome, all day, every day. Start your day with Playbook AM, refuel at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report and enrich your evening discussions with Huddle. Plus, stay updated with real-time buzz all day through our brand new Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here.     WELCOME TO FUTURE PULSE Germantown, Md. | Evan Peng This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. Nearly 1 in 5 school-aged children are taking melatonin, a hormone that the brain produces in response to darkness. It’s increasingly available in kid-friendly gummies as a sleep aid. That's a dramatic increase from five years ago, when 1.3 percent of parents reported that their children used melatonin. 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 Alice Miranda Ollstein talks with POLITICO health care reporter Chelsea Cirruzzo, who explains why a lack of funding has stalled the law recently signed by President Joe Biden to overhaul the nation's organ transplant system — its first major reform in 40 years. Listen to today’s Pulse Check podcast AROUND THE NATION Kids in the Big Apple can now get therapy for free online. | AP Photo New York City has a new approach to handling the mental health crisis among teens: online therapy. The city has launched NYC Teenspace, a partnership with online mental health provider Talkspace, to provide therapy to kids in the city ages 13 to 17. The program allows unlimited messaging with a therapist five days a week and one 30-minute live virtual session a month. It’s available regardless of household income or insurance. “It’s one of the largest teen initiatives in the country by far,” Dr. Jon Cohen, CEO of Talkspace, told Daniel. “We’re really trying to get [teens] to be engaged and have someone to talk to.” Why it matters: Teens’ mental health is a key concern among policymakers, health providers and parents alike. Health providers who treat children are seeing increases in symptoms of mental illness, and some kids’ mental health experts believe the worst could be to come. What’s next? Cohen said Talkspace would make another big announcement in the coming days about a partnership with a large school system.   DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO APP: Stay in the know with the POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS – DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID.     SAFETY CHECK AI may offer biased results when the inputs aren't diverse. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images Bias in artificial intelligence, born of flawed inputs that inform the technology, looms as one of the biggest obstacles facing AI in medicine. And evidence keeps coming to bolster those concerns. Consider a new study from University of Florida researchers that found algorithms designed to diagnose bacterial vaginosis in women delivered biased results. The researchers tested four algorithms and found that Asian women received the most false-negative results and Hispanic women the most false-positive results. The AI performed best for white women. Part of the reason, they argued, is that vaginal microbiomes can vary across and within ethnicities. What’s next? The study found that AI relying on more diverse data helped improve results. The takeaway: The researchers highlighted the importance of reviewing AI for fairness to ensure that women across ethnicities receive the same level of care.   Follow us on Twitter Carmen Paun @carmenpaun Daniel Payne @_daniel_payne Ruth Reader @RuthReader Erin Schumaker @erinlschumaker Evan Peng @thepngfile   Follow us

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