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State lawmakers hear experts on AI in health care: promise on efficiency, concerns on costs, evaluation and workforce involvement
Summary
A joint Pennsylvania House hearing heard three experts who said AI could improve diagnosis and reduce clinician burnout but warned it can also raise costs, create a rural digital divide, and requires stronger evaluation, vendor transparency and frontline involvement.
Harrisburg — Lawmakers from Pennsylvania’s Communications & Technology and Health committees on Thursday heard experts outline both the promise and pitfalls of artificial intelligence in health care, including potential efficiency gains and new costs, limited real‑world evidence and workforce concerns.
Dr. Hannah Nepras, a health‑care economist, told legislators that AI can reduce administrative burdens — for example, automating call centers and prior‑authorization responses — and that ambient scribe tools may reduce clinician burnout. "AI has the potential to simplify administrative tasks in health care," she said, while cautioning that new tools often increase spending by expanding the treated population or by prompting follow‑up for incidental findings.
Nepras highlighted four ways AI could raise costs: expanding the population receiving treatment (for instance, broader diabetic retinopathy screening); surfacing clinically insignificant findings that trigger follow‑up care; new billable codes and…
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