The letter, addressed to HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, was signed by Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif. They argued that including race in clinical algorithms can cause physicians to make decisions that could worsen people of color’s health outcomes.
“Race-based medical care and algorithms must be reassessed,” the lawmakers wrote. “These algorithms may be overly simplistic in that they apply population standards to individuals and treat heterogeneous groups as biologically homogenous. It is important to understand not just that there is bias in these algorithms, but also to better understand what historical factors led to the creation of these biases, whether they are based on unscientific, racist assumptions, or if they merely reflect the effects racism has already had on the health of people of color.”
The lawmakers’ letter cited examples of clinical algorithms with racist features, including one that predicts Black and Latinx women have less of a likelihood for successful vaginal birth after a prior cesarean section and one that estimates Black patients’ kidney diseases to be less severe than that of patients who are of a different race.
Register today for Becker’s HIT+RCM Virtual Event Oct. 6-9 for the best insights and big ideas in health IT!
More articles on artificial intelligence:
Defense Department, Philips expand AI research for early detection of infectious diseases
Ascension Ventures joins $106M investment round for healthcare AI startup Olive
5 recent studies exploring AI in healthcare
At the Becker's 11th Annual IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, taking place September 14–17 in Chicago, healthcare executives and digital leaders from across the country will come together to explore how AI, interoperability, cybersecurity, and revenue cycle innovation are transforming care delivery, strengthening financial performance, and driving the next era of digital health. Apply for complimentary registration now.