(The Center Square) – Artificial intelligence is monitoring patient data for cases of sepsis in Pennsylvania hospitals, becoming deeply embedded in insurance companies’ prior authorizations, and tapping a database to reduce negative drug-on-drug reactions.
Those examples of AI’s rapid infiltration of the state’s medical care apparatus came out Tuesday during an informational meeting in the Capitol held by two House committees. Lawmakers heard from medical and insurance professionals how AI is saving time and improving outcomes – but they also expressed concerns and flat-out skepticism.
State Rep. Benjamin Waxman, D-Philadelphia, worried that a “small number of very large companies” controlled much of the technology. Democratic Health Committee Chairman Rep. Dan Frankel of Pittsburgh asked whether an AI technology developer carries liability if something goes wrong. And Republican Rep. Valerie Gaydos of Allegheny County – tapping the same vein – said a mistake committed by a medical professional relying too heavily on AI could be fatal.
“People’s tendencies are to get a little lazy, perhaps, when technology can replace things,” Gaydos said.
That was a critical point, said Srinath Adusumalli, a cardiologist and vice president and chief health information officer at University of Pennsylvania Health System. But he told lawmakers the status quo in health care – in which demand exceeds capacity to deliver care – is not sustainable.
“AI offers transformative potential within and beyond hospital walls,” he said.
Robert Kruklitis, executive vice president and chief clinical officer at the Guthrie health system, said AI has improved the ability to detect sepsis in hospital patients. “We have seen a considerable decrease in mortality,” he said, adding that AI “has great potential to strengthen care delivery.”
At the same time, he said many hospitals don’t have the money to implement AI systems. He suggested state government come up with pilot programs to help hospitals integrate AI into care.
The two committees that questioned panelists on Tuesday – the House Health Committee and the House Communications & Technology Committee – both have scrutinized bills on AI.
For example, a bill sponsored by Democratic Rep. Arvind Venkat of Allegheny County would seek to ensure a “human decisionmaker” is involved in every significant medical decision.
A registered nurse at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center with decades of experience, Lori Kreider, was asked what nursing tasks AI could help with.
“We would want it to cut back on our charting,” Kreider said. “I want to spend more time at bedside.”
At the same time, though, Kreider described big-picture concerns over an excessive embrace by the health care industry of inhuman data, algorithms, and robots.
“AI can process data points but it cannot provide empathy,” she said. “Would you want a robot or AI giving you your sponge bath or placing your IV?”
The most public voice for the state’s insurance industry, Insurance Federation of Pennsylvania President and CEO Jonathan Greer, repeatedly said “responsible use” of AI technology is important. Another panelist from the federation, Megan Barbour, said AI is “transforming” the prior authorization process used in the insurance business.
Many comments alluded to “ambient listening” by AI to doctor-patient conversations. The word “recording” was used little or not at all during the session with lawmakers.
Panelists said it allowed doctors to spend more time looking at their patients, rather than taking notes. But state Rep. Joe Ciresi, a Montgomery County Democrat, wanted to know what happened to the recordings.
