Whether it's a "reusable NLP pipeline for clinical narratives preprocessing and characterization," an exploration focused on "evaluating Generative AI for polio containment" – or any number of other healthcare-focused applications large and small – there's a wide and diverse array of use cases for artificial intelligence and automation in the works at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

WHY IT MATTERS
As required by a pair of executive orders from two recent administrations, the Office of the Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer in HHS' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy (ASTP) has compiled an updated list of All HHS AI Use Cases.

"The 2024 AI use case inventory includes a range of additional information beyond just use case summaries," said Principal Deputy National Coordinator for Health IT Steven Posnack in a blog post Monday. "It includes information on, data, IT infrastructure, internal governance and much more."

The list has grown significantly since 2023, when it included disparate 163 use cases. This year's inventory  includes more than 270 – a 66% increase.

"It’s important to keep in mind that use cases come in various sizes and are at various development stages," Posnack noted. "Out of the 271 use cases, 59 are 'Initiated,' 57 are in 'Acquisition and/or Development,' 35 are in “Implementation and Assessment,” 104 are in 'Operation and Maintenance,' and 16 are 'Retired.'"

THE LARGER TREND
ASTP's Office of the Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer is responsible for leading yearly inventories of HHS AI use case inventory, thanks to a requirement first initiated by President Trump through Executive Order 13960, "Promoting the Use of Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence in the Federal Government."

This responsibility was further enhanced by President Biden’s  EO 14110 of October 2023, "Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence" – which Trump has said he will repeal during his second term.

Meanwhile, the Office of Management and Budget's Memoranda M-24-10, "Advancing Governance, Innovation, and Risk Management for Agency Use of Artificial Intelligence," sets requirements for AI governance, innovation and risk management.

The past Trump Administration voiced support for promoting AI innovation. The Biden administration worked to promote AI security and efficacy – not just with the White House EO but also with, among other efforts, a series of rules from OMB requiring "concrete safeguards" around the transparent and responsible use of AI across government agencies, including HHS and the VA.

ON THE RECORD
"With the 2024 AI use case inventory release in our rear-view mirror, we have already started our planning for the 2025 inventory and improvements," said Posnack of the updated list published this week. "We will also be using this curated list to engage our sister agencies and execute additional ongoing responsibilities included in M-24-10, including working with them, where applicable and appropriate, to share their AI code, models, and data."

Mike Miliard is executive editor of Healthcare IT News
Email the writer: mike.miliard@himssmedia.com
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS publication.