For Immediate Release:
Contact: Kelly Broadway, 202-808-8853
kbroadway@health-innovation.org
Washington, D.C. – The Health Innovation Alliance (HIA) applauds members of the House of Representatives for incorporating several of HIA’s policies into their reconciliation bill.
“The Health Innovation Alliance has worked closely with lawmakers to ensure that artificial intelligence can be incorporated into the healthcare system throughout the country to improve patient outcomes, reduce administrative burdens, and bolster efforts to find and stop fraud. To see our efforts reflected in the House’s reconciliation bill is a win for the entire system,” said Brett Meeks, Executive Director of the Health Innovation Alliance. “HIA now calls on the Senate to follow the House’s example and include these policies in its bill. Lawmakers have the opportunity to make an impactful change and create an innovative environment, I hope they seize it.”
HIA has been a vocal proponent of a nationwide, federal standard for artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare. Differing state and local laws and regulations create an unequal barrier to how AI can be used to treat a patient and the ability of healthcare providers to track and treat patients throughout their lifespan. The Energy and Commerce Committee’s 10-year moratorium on state and local regulation of AI models reflects HIA’s advocacy efforts, allowing the federal government time to create a national standard while not impeding any innovation in incorporating AI into the healthcare system.
The Ways and Means Committee’s inclusion of AI to identify and reduce improper payments in Medicare mirrors HIA’s years-long campaign to use AI and machine learning to reduce fraud, waste, and abuse in the program. HIA has long argued that AI can quickly and efficiently flag suspect billing charges before making a payment. This would be far more efficient than the current system, which pays first and then goes after fraudulent activity.
“Policymakers from Congress to the administration are increasingly realizing that technology and AI need to be at the forefront of reducing fraud, lowering costs through greater efficiency, and freeing up providers to better treat patients. It’s time to reduce unnecessary regulatory barriers, enhance and invest resources into this groundbreaking technology,” said Meeks.
To learn more about how AI is used in healthcare, click here for HIA’s use cases report.