HHS tech officers' uncertain future
The Department of Health and Human Services' newly hired tech officers' futures are in limbo as the Trump administration reshapes the government, according to seven people with knowledge of the situation granted anonymity to speak about on it.
Chief AI officer Meghan Dierks, chief technology officer Alicia Rouault and chief digital officer Kristen Honey were hired in January as part of an AI-focused reorganization at HHS. These positions are central to a Biden-era initiative to create pathways for AI innovation and safety in health care. They were announced shortly after HHS released its AI strategy roadmap earlier this year.
Dierks, Rouault and Honey are still listed among leadership on the assistant secretary for technology policy's website. However, when reached for comment at their agency addresses, emails to Dierks and Rouault bounced back. Honey's HHS email appears to be working.
None of the three people returned requests for comment. HHS also did not return multiple requests for comment.
Last summer, HHS renamed the Office of the National Coordinator, changing it to the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, which was part of a wider effort to centralize rulemaking for technology, cybersecurity, data and artificial intelligence. It also added the three new positions to lead coordination on data, technology and artificial intelligence across HHS agencies.
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WORKFORCE
Doctors are beginning to warm to the idea of artificial intelligence in health care.
A new American Medical Association survey of 1,183 physicians found that between 2023 and 2024, doctors whose enthusiasm outweighed their concern about health AI rose from 30 to 35 percent.
In both years, roughly 40 percent of doctors said they were equally excited and worried about health AI.
That enthusiasm could partly stem from more doctors using the technology: AI use cases nearly doubled from 38 percent to 66 percent between 2023 and 2024. Common uses included medical research, documenting clinical visits and writing discharge summaries and care plans.
What's next: Doctors in the 2024 survey pointed to the needs they'd like addressed before adopting AI tools:
— 88 percent wanted a designated feedback channel
— 87 percent wanted data privacy assurances
— 84 percent wanted electronic health record integration
Even so: While doctors are increasingly intrigued by AI, Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld, the AMA's immediate past president, noted in a statement that they remain concerned about some of the technology's unaddressed risks.
'There remain unresolved physician concerns with the design of health AI and the potential of flawed AI-enabled tools to put privacy at risk, integrate poorly with EHR systems, offer incorrect conclusions or recommendations, and introduce new liability concerns,' Ehrenfeld said.
'Increased oversight ranked as the top regulatory action needed to increase physician confidence and adoption of AI.'
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