Soothe a doc: AI won’t replace you

The ideas and innovators shaping health care

Nov 10, 2023 View in browser   By Daniel Payne, Evan Peng, Ruth Reader and Erin Schumaker CHECKUP Big questions: Will AI cut health care costs? And if so, where will the savings come? | Seth Wenig/AP Photo Doctors mulled the AI-driven future at America’s Physician Groups’ fall conference in Washington and heard a reassuring case that it won’t replace them. Dr. Jobst Landgrebe, who co-authored the book “Why Machines Will Never Rule the World: Artificial Intelligence Without Fear,” fielded questions about making sense of the tech in medicine — especially as doctors face a sea of third-party AI products pledging to enhance their practices. Hot topic: AI systems hold promise for helping doctors, and the health system in general, improve patient care, Landgrebe said. The models can help connect symptoms to a diagnosis in some cases and eventually make a big difference in pathology and radiology work. The tech could also mean leaps for the health system as a whole, with AI’s ability to better predict the estimated cost of patient care and its potential to “radically reform” risk adjustment. Cold water: Landgrebe believes that some of the hype around AI is baseless. He said higher-order human thinking won’t be easily replaced by the systems, adding that human health workers can diagnose and treat an ailment in many circumstances without AI assistance. In the middle, though, the tech can make a real difference, whether in radiology, pathology or intensive care unit workflows.   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 Hunting Creek, Md. | Shawn Zeller This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. Microsoft is considering how an AI chatbot could be used for “emotional care,” according to a patent the company filed. And it’s not the only company thinking about how to use AI to improve mental health. 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 Katherine Ellen Foley talks with POLITICO health care reporter Megan Messerly, who breaks down the results of Tuesday’s election and discusses voters' support for abortion rights, which cut across party lines and did significantly better with voters than President Joe Biden and other Democrats — and what that means for the 2024 race. Listen to today’s Pulse Check podcast   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.     DATA DIVE And how do patients feel about AI in health? Bottom line: Nervous at best, downright worried at worst. The Pew Research Center has found that 60 percent of Americans say they would be uncomfortable with their provider relying on AI in their care, with most worrying that providers are moving too fast to incorporate the technology. And there’s no consensus on whether AI will improve or worsen patients’ health outcomes. Two charts tell the tale: Pew Research Center Pew Research Center POLICY PUZZLE The debate over noncompete contracts has moved to HHS. | Alastair Pike/AFP/Getty Images Advocacy groups are lobbying the Department of Health and Human Services to ban health care facilities from using noncompete agreements if they receive Medicare or Medicaid funding. Noncompete agreements, common in the health care industry, prevent doctors from quitting and going to work for rivals. A similar contract provision, known as “stay-or-pay,” requires workers to pay their employer if they leave their job before a set date. According to the regulation-focused nonprofit Governing for Impact, which coauthored the memo, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services could impose a condition of participation — or a standard organizations must meet — on health care facilities that receive Medicare and Medicaid funding. That condition could be banning the use of noncompetes or similar employment-contract provisions. “Health care employers are deploying noncompetes and stay-or-pay contracts to trap workers in poor working conditions that create risks to patient health and safety,” the memo says. Dig deeper: Noncompete agreements have been hotly debated since the beginning of the year, when the Federal Trade Commission proposed a rule to ban them, arguing they hurt workers and competition. Hospitals are lobbying the agency to exempt them. The FTC is still deciding whether to change the rule or finalize it.   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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