October 31, 2023 – The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) has released guiding principles to support the development, integration, and use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare.

The ATA detailed six AI principles:

1. While AI can help improve clinical decision-making and should be included in patient care, other factors, like the patient-provider relationship and accountability mechanisms, are critical to improving clinical outcomes.

2. Healthcare AI use should include disclosures explaining data processing, use, sharing, and storage, and algorithm development.

3. AI use should aim to curb health inequities, and thus, AI solutions used in clinical care should provide clear and publicly available evidence that algorithms and AI-based correlations are not biased.

4. A regulatory framework for AI is needed at the federal level to ensure uniform compliance by providers, developers, and researchers nationwide, and states that create additional AI regulations should align those with federal standards and regulations in other states.

5. Current and upcoming healthcare professionals must be educated on the importance of AI integration and best practices for AI utilization, and they should be included in the decision-making process for AI adoption.

6. Data privacy protocols for AI use should be similar to other data privacy practices across an organization.

“AI is already being used in telehealth and its future potential is endless, especially to harness the reams of data that our healthcare system produces, including data collected from virtual care technologies, to improve healthcare delivery,” said Kyle Zebley, senior vice president of public policy at the ATA, in a press release.

The AI principles come a few months after the ATA released six principles to protect patient data during telehealth utilization. 

The data privacy principles include creating a federal policy that would offer much-needed consistency in data privacy practices for telehealth providers nationwide; giving consumers the right to access, correct, move, and delete their data; and providing consumers with clear disclosures on the data that is collected, how it will be used, and how to opt out of collection and processing.

The release of the ATA’s AI principles also comes alongside President Joe Biden’s executive order that urges the creation of new standards for AI use across industries, including healthcare.

Through the executive order, the president directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a safety program to receive reports and address unsafe healthcare practices involving AI. In addition, the Biden administration aims to launch a pilot of the National AI Research Resource and provide grants for AI research in areas like healthcare and climate change.

“The ATA supports policies, practices, and regulatory frameworks that enhance patient and provider trust, safety, and the efficacy of AI adoption as a tool in healthcare,” Zebley said. “The ATA and the ATA’s Data Work Group believe that utilizing AI in healthcare – including telehealth – can improve quality and service capability at every stage of the care journey. We stand ready to work with the Administration, Congress and other key stakeholders to advance the safe, appropriate and responsible use of AI in healthcare.”

AI is increasingly being employed in virtual care programs and solutions.

For instance, earlier this month, Cedars-Sinai launched a new AI-driven mHealth application for patients in California that provides virtual care options for various clinical conditions. The app offers an AI-guided intake process, which gathers information from patients about their symptoms and searches through anonymized notes to find diagnoses and treatments for people with similar symptoms. Clinicians can then review the patient information and AI-driven findings and connect with patients virtually.

Similarly, Northwell Health launched an AI-based chatbot in January to lower morbidity and mortality rates among pregnant women. The chatbot allows patients to access health risk assessments, blood pressure tracking, prenatal testing, birth plans, and lactation support.