Radiologists offer AI stamp of approval

The ideas and innovators shaping health care

Jul 01, 2024 View in browser   By Daniel Payne, Toni Odejimi, Carmen Paun, Ruth Reader and Erin Schumaker FORWARD THINKING Radiologists are already using AI to help them diagnose patients. | Getty Images Radiologists are already using artificial intelligence to help them more accurately diagnose patients with X-rays and other medical scans. They’re now moving to increase their role in vetting the tools. How so? The American College of Radiology, the professional society for doctors in the specialty, is launching a program to certify radiology practices as adept at using AI in their work. Checking the systems is a necessity, said Dr. Christoph Wald, chair of the ACR’s Commission on Informatics. “Even a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-cleared AI product must be tested locally to ensure it works safely and as intended. Practice leaders must put safeguards in place to maximize the benefit of AI products while minimizing risk,” he said in a release, adding that the radiologists’ certification program would be “low cost” and “efficient.” To join the program, organizations will have to take certain steps, including: — Creating a governance group — Documenting algorithm use and regularly reviewing AI systems’ output — Complying with safety standards — Participating in a registry to measure performance. Six providers were named members at the launch, including the Mayo Clinic Care Network, the Cleveland Clinic and Penn Medicine. Wide angle: The radiologists aren’t the only ones looking to create a system that would assure that AI systems work well in health care. A number of others — including some government agencies — are trying to start assurance labs, create validation tools or mandate new rules for the technology.   THE GOLD STANDARD OF HEALTHCARE POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries, like healthcare, equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists. Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced and better sourced than any other. Our healthcare reporting team—including Alice Miranda Ollstein, Megan Messerly and Robert King—is embedded with the market-moving legislative committees and agencies in Washington and across states, delivering unparalleled coverage of health policy and the healthcare industry. We bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY.     WELCOME TO FUTURE PULSE Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, Washington, D.C. | Shawn Zeller/POLITICO This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. A dentist has received FDA approval to test if rapamycin can treat gum disease and, in the process, slow aging, NPR reports. The drug was first approved for transplant patients in the 1990s but some doctors prescribe it off label to treat age-related conditions. 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, Erin Schumaker at eschumaker@politico.com, or Toni Odejimi at aodejimi@politico.com. Send tips securely through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp.   WORLD VIEW The EU's parliament is under pressure to regulate AI. | John Thys/AFP via Getty Images European human rights activists have formed a group to ensure artificial intelligence in health care prioritizes “transparency, accountability, and fairness” for the patients it affects, our European colleagues report. The new Digital Rights and Health Alliance will push for the implementation of the EU’s new AI Act, which will subject artificial intelligence tools for health care to extra scrutiny beyond what other medical devices receive. The EU Parliament passed the law in March, but many of the regulatory details aren’t yet set. Who’s in the alliance? EuroHealthNet, European Digital Rights, the European Public Health Alliance, Global Health Alliance and Health Action International, as well as individual researchers.   Understand 2024’s big impacts with Pro’s extensive Campaign Races Dashboard, exclusive insights, and key coverage of federal- and state-level debates. Focus on policy. Learn more.     DANGER ZONE Air pollution remains a major health threat. | Sam McNeil/AP Photo Exposure to air pollution was the second-highest risk factor for deaths worldwide in 2021 after high blood pressure, killing more than 8 million people, according to a new study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. The study found that pollution kills more people than smoking or dietary issues. Hotter weather due to climate change has made pollution worse, with the level of ozone, another air pollutant, rising as temperatures heat up. The most common form of air pollution is fine particulate matter, caused by processes such as agricultural production and the burning of fossil fuels. Lower-income countries, like those in Southeast Asia and Africa, suffered the most. Elderly adults, children and pregnant people are those at most risk. What’s next? Michael Brauer, a professor at the institute who worked on the study, said countries need to take aggressive steps to reduce pollution. Some lower-income countries have created air-quality organizations over the past few years to try to get a handle on the problem.   Follow us on Twitter Carmen Paun @carmenpaun Daniel Payne @_daniel_payne Ruth Reader @RuthReader Erin Schumaker @erinlschumaker   Follow us

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://login.politico.com/?redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings This email was sent to rouf@idiot.cloudns.cc by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service