This Just In! The 2/6 Edition of CTeL "inTeL" is Now Here!
Center for Telehealth and eHealth Law (CTeL)
Trusted leader in digital health law, policy, and regulatory strategy.
Telehealth Availability for Mental Health Care Varies Significantly Based on Geography
?A recent study conducted by RAND found significant variation in the availability of telehealth services for mental health care across different U.S. states. The research, which utilized a "secret shopper" approach, involved calling nearly 2,000 clinics nationwide and seeking telehealth appointments for various mental health conditions. The study revealed that telehealth availability ranged from less than half of the treatment facilities contacted in states like Mississippi and South Carolina to every facility contacted in states like Maine and Oregon. Differences in services were also observed based on the clinic's location (rural or metropolitan) and the types of services offered, with variations in virtual medication management and diagnostic services.?
Additionally, the study highlighted that private facilities were nearly twice as likely to offer telehealth services compared to public facilities, and private for-profit facilities were less likely to offer telehealth medication management but more likely to offer diagnostic services.
Solving Health Inequities Requires Intentional, Front-End Actions
The American Medical Association (AMA) emphasizes the importance of integrating augmented intelligence (AI) and digital health tools into healthcare practice while ensuring they advance health equity. AMA President Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH, discussed the need to address biases in technology design and development to avoid perpetuating existing inequalities.?
The webinar, "Rethinking Health Technology for Equity," highlighted the transformative impact of digital health, data science, and AI on healthcare but underscored the unequal distribution of benefits, contributing to a widening digital divide. The AMA leads efforts to promote health equity through initiatives like the In Full Health Learning and Action Community, aiming to develop digital solutions addressing historically marginalized communities' needs without creating new inequities.?
Dr. Ehrenfeld emphasized the economic gains of reducing racial health inequities, citing a report estimating $135 billion in annual economic growth. The AMA calls for prioritizing resource allocation to scale solutions that advance racial and social justice, ensuring proportional representation and resource allocation aligned with the nation's demographics.
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Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: Certification Program Updates, Algorithm Transparency, and Information Sharing; Correction
HHS officials moved to smooth a bump in the road for regulations requiring more transparency in artificial intelligence. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT?moved to correct?an error and made a bid to avoid a delay, requiring software developers to provide more data to customers to allow providers to determine whether A.I. is “fair, appropriate, valid, effective and safe.”?
ONC's regulations also set new data standards for interoperability, change information blocking exceptions, and set forth interoperability reporting requirements. The filing corrects technical and typographical errors in the final rule titled "Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: Certification Program Updates, Algorithm Transparency, and Information Sharing," published ONC.
The corrections include adjusting the effective date of the final rule to March 11, 2024, and addressing errors in references to Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) sections and incorporation by reference approval dates. The corrections aim to ensure accuracy without making substantive changes to the policies established in the original final rule.
Beyond Science Fiction: AI Meets Healthcare
AI is actively utilized in healthcare, providing valuable support in various areas, assisting in medical imaging, helping interpret images like X-rays, and aids in cancer diagnosis, and facilitating surgical planning for complex cases like prostate cancer. Regulation remains a challenge, with the FDA taking an experimental approach, and HHS focusing on increased transparency in AI used in clinical settings through finalized rules. Read More.
The VR Doctor is in: Cedars-Sinai Adds AI-powered Therapy App to Apple Vision Pro Headset
Cedars-Sinai's app, Xaia, developed for use with Apple's Vision Pro virtual reality headset, offers a unique approach to virtual care by using artificial intelligence to generate a fully virtual therapist. The immersive therapy sessions go beyond traditional telehealth services, and the technology has been licensed to VRx Health for commercialization. Read More.
Health Experts Raise Concerns Over AI Apps Claiming to be Pocket Nutrition Assistants
Cell phone app HealthifyMe claims to use AI to track calories and provide nutritional guidance based on photos of meals. While AI can assist in monitoring food intake, health experts emphasize the importance of human expertise in guiding individuals through nutritional goals, addressing the limitations of AI in understanding the nuances of personal dietary needs, motivation, and behavior change. Keep reading…
Augmented Intelligence: Pros and Cons of AI in Healthcare and Clinical Workflow Optimization
The AMA launched a webinar focused on the Pros and Cons of utilizing AI in healthcare settings. View the posting of the webinar which highlights the successful implementation of telehealth, improving medical office workflow, and the future of healthcare technology. Read More.
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?? Exciting developments! As Bill Gates once said, "The advance of technology is based on making it fit in so that you don't really even notice it, so it's part of everyday life." Embracing telemental health and AI in healthcare is a step towards a future where health equity is a reality for all. ????#InnovationForAll