Tim’s Takeaways: The Intersection of Healthcare Data and Shared Services

Healthcare is changing along with patient expectations, with data playing a central role in this transformation. These changes not only impact patients and providers but the government as well. The Clearing’s Tim Rund recently attended ACT-IAC’s 2023 Health Innovation Summit, where HHS launched its new Data Strategy, which will be formally released later this month. Here are his takeaways on what federal leaders are saying about the future of health data.

Generative AI

Dr. Carolyn Clancy, Assistant Under Secretary for Health, Discovery, Education, and Affiliate Networks, VA, spoke about exciting opportunities to leverage Generative AI to analyze significantly extensive collections of radiological images. As we wrote in our piece on Big Data, combining the technological ability to harness large sets of data with human analysis is key to leveraging it effectively. Imagine the life-changing health outcomes possible if healthcare experts could more effectively analyze troves of real-life radiological imagery for insights into disease and treatment.

Conversational AI

Dr. Clancy said her team is also closely following “Conversational AI” capabilities for ambient dictation software to transcribe doctor/patient interactions. More accurate transcription leads to more accurate healthcare records – a win for patients and providers alike. She also noted AI’s potential in telehealth for the delivery of service, including “Virtual” and “Augmented Reality” capabilities by patients from their homes. This could make it easier for patients in remote locations to access top healthcare providers currently unavailable to them.

Data as a Shared Service

Saileen Mullen, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for DHA, spoke about the significant progress on expanding interoperability and data integration across systems, networks, and agencies. This is a prime example of the potential for data as a shared service something we are keeping a close eye on.

While the possibilities are endless, federal leaders will have their work cut out for them. They’ll be faced with regulating new privacy challenges, ensuring patient rights, and navigating the technical issues that come with any new technology. That’s why it’s such a great opportunity for shared services. By enlisting centralized experts to manage things like healthcare data governance, HHS employees will be freed up to tackle the mission-critical, human-centered issues mentioned above. If you’d like to hear more about the conference or shared services in general, please reach out. I am available anytime at timothy.rund@dev2021.theclearing.com.