Lawmakers study AI and its growth in the healthcare sector to help craft the regulatory framework
MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- State lawmakers are holding a two-day committee on artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare. During it, they will be going over the pros and cons of AI and the steps they need to take to make sure the data of Wisconsinites is safe. AI is already being used in some ways like for radiology or even charting, but there are few regulations around it. Data from health tracking apps also have few regulations and it's why lawmakers are studying the topic.
One of the experts that testified was with the Future of Privacy Forum which advocates personal data protection. The organization says that the United States has no federal law to protect our data. That’s compared to 144 other countries across the world that do. Now more lawmakers are tackling this at the state level.
“We now have 23 or 24 state comprehensive privacy laws those laws continue to evolve from year to year as they are amended and as states pass new regulations implementing those laws,” said Jordan Francis, senior policy counsel for Future of Privacy Forum. “Last year we saw a significant increase in enforcement activity under the comprehensive law specifically. The two states most active there have been California and Texas, they have been bringing a number of cases largely around advertising practices.”
Data privacy is an important conversation surrounding AI especially as it’s gradually being integrated into the healthcare system.
“There is ambient listening technology that is coming that will allow the nurse to talk to a patient like I am talking to you and not have to look at the computer to document,” said Sara Kroenke, a clinical informatics nurse specialist.
The nurse would still go back and make sure the transcription was correct. As for privacy concerns, many of the companies that provide this technology delete the audio file after 30 days. But not all companies do, which is why people like Kroenke think there needs to be some regulation in place for new technologies. While this may seem intimidating to patients, healthcare workers say AI is needed in the industry.
“Healthcare companies are facing decreased reimbursement increased costs of technology and pharmaceuticals so how do we give better higher quality care to patients and yes absolutely protect consumers," Kroenke said.
One thing healthcare companies will be considering is the return on investment using AI and is it worth it. Some AI tools are more expensive than others. Experts like Kroenke say companies will have to weigh how much they can help before making an ultimate decision to implement AI into their daily workflows.
Lawmakers are looking to create regulations surrounding AI in healthcare and data protections legislation we are likely to see come up in the 2027 legislative session.