AI’s not AI at this doctors’ group

The ideas and innovators shaping health care

Feb 28, 2024 View in browser   By Daniel Payne, Ruth Reader and Erin Schumaker TECH MAZE At the AMA, AI means augmented intelligence. | Josep Lago/AFP/Getty Images The American Medical Association doesn’t want to talk about artificial intelligence — instead, it wants to talk about “augmented intelligence.” The semantics matter to the nation’s leading doctors’ group, which says its preferred term points to the need for a doctor to be in the loop when technology is at use in patient care. In touting a new report on the role of AI in health care, the AMA’s co-authors at consulting firm Manatt Health felt the need to append a note explaining that the doctors’ group “uses the term ‘augmented intelligence’ rather than ‘artificial intelligence’ to reflect its perspective that artificial intelligence tools and services support rather than explicitly replace human decision-making.” That’s fighting against a giant linguistic tide, but AMA President Jesse Ehrenfeld, in a speech late last year, said it was “very intentional — even though we lose this battle most days of the week.” “Human beings must always, always be at the center of patient care,” Ehrenfeld added. Why it matters: People across all industries — including educated professionals long shielded from the threat of automation — worry about AI taking their jobs. Others deny the threat. “I think people expect these tools will diagnose and treat disease. I don't think that’s going to happen,” Ehrenfeld told Daniel last year. “I think they will provide a supportive role. They’ll augment our capabilities.” What’s next? Doctors increasingly use AI tools to diagnose patients, but the tools typically require a physician to make a final call. Still, some AI products on the market can already work without doctors, such as those checking patients for diabetic retinopathy, an eye condition that’s a leading cause of blindness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “What's unique about that is it’s a very specific, very narrow use case,” Ehrenfeld said. “It’s not you typing symptoms into a chatbot, and it telling you what you think it is.”   CONGRESS OVERDRIVE: Since day one, POLITICO has been laser-focused on Capitol Hill, serving up the juiciest Congress coverage. Now, we’re upping our game to ensure you’re up to speed and in the know on every tasty morsel and newsy nugget from inside the Capitol Dome, around the clock. Wake up, read Playbook AM, get up to speed at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report, and fuel your nightly conversations with Inside Congress in the evening. Plus, never miss a beat with buzzy, real-time updates throughout the day via our Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here.     WELCOME TO FUTURE PULSE National Arboretum, Washington, D.C. | Shawn Zeller/POLITICO This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. Anti-obesity drugs like Wegovy are worth the high price tag, University of Pennsylvania bioethicist Ezekiel Emanuel argues in a co-authored Wall Street Journal op-ed. The reasoning: they reduce obesity quickly and save the health care system money in the long term. Share any thoughts, news, tips and feedback with Carmen Paun at cpaun@politico.com, Daniel Payne at dpayne@politico.com, Ruth Reader at rreader@politico.com or Erin Schumaker at eschumaker@politico.com. Send tips securely through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp. CHECKUP Tufts has an app to help patients know when they need to see the doctor in person. | Antonio Perez/Getty Images It’s not always easy to know when you need to see the doctor. Soon, Tufts Medicine patients in Massachusetts will be able to use an app to access a virtual medical assistant who can help them decide whether a doctor’s visit is in order. Undergirded with AI linked to the system’s electronic health records, the system will also offer chats with a clinician who can assess symptoms and help decide whether an in-office visit is needed. Why it matters: The program will improve access to care, the organization said in its announcement about the new offering. “We want to provide our current and future patients with the option of beginning their care journeys virtually and seamlessly, moving to coordinated in-person care when necessary,” Emily Young, president of the Tufts Medicine Integrated Network, said in the statement.   YOUR TICKET INSIDE THE GOLDEN STATE POLITICAL ARENA: California Playbook delivers the latest intel, buzzy scoops and exclusive coverage from Sacramento and Los Angeles to Silicon Valley and across the state. Don't miss out on the daily must-read for political aficionados and professionals with an outsized interest in California politics, policy and power. Subscribe today.     POLICY PUZZLE Murphy thinks his gun control crusade is paying off. | AFP via Getty Images Gun violence is on the decline, and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) says it shows that public policy can make a difference. Murphy credits the law he helped negotiate with Senate Republicans two years ago after mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, shook the nation. Since the enactment of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in 2022, gun violence has dropped 12 percent in urban centers and 10 percent everywhere else. That’s the biggest single-year drop in gun violence ever reported. “When you pass serious bipartisan legislation … you get immediate returns,” said Murphy at the Gun Violence Prevention Forum at Northwell Health in New York City on Tuesday. The law, which Murphy developed with fellow Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, the Democrat since turned independent from Arizona, and Republican Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Cornyn of Texas, put $15 billion into public safety, a quarter billion of which was devoted to increasing mental health resources for kids. Rob Wilcox, deputy director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, said at the forum that a few things could help bring gun violence down further: — Collecting more data to help agencies target funding to communities that are most affected — Convincing parents to securely store weapons in the home — Enlisting hospitals to provide victims with mental health counseling and other supportive resources to reduce retaliatory violence — Measuring more precisely the efficacy of different interventions What’s next? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is building up a real-time database of firearm violence that taps into hospital emergency departments across the country. The agency also funds local website dashboards to help smaller communities understand the drivers of gun violence in their regions.     Follow us on Twitter Carmen Paun @carmenpaun Daniel Payne @_daniel_payne Ruth Reader @RuthReader Erin Schumaker @erinlschumaker   Follow us

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