Exploring the Wide Array of AI Use Cases in Healthcare at HHS
Whether it’s a “reusable NLP pipeline for clinical narratives preprocessing and characterization,” an exploration focused on “evaluating Generative AI for polio containment” – or any number of other healthcare-focused applications large and small – there’s a wide and diverse array of use cases for artificial intelligence and automation in the works at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Why It Matters
As required by a pair of executive orders from two recent administrations, the Office of the Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer in HHS’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy (ASTP) has compiled an updated list of All HHS AI Use Cases.
“The 2024 AI use case inventory includes a range of additional information beyond just use case summaries,” said Principal Deputy National Coordinator for Health IT Steven Posnack in a blog post Monday. “It includes information on data, IT infrastructure, internal governance and much more.”
The list has grown significantly since 2023, now including more than 270 use cases – a 66% increase from the previous year.
“Out of the 271 use cases, 59 are ‘Initiated,’ 57 are in ‘Acquisition and/or Development,’ 35 are in ‘Implementation and Assessment,’ 104 are in ‘Operation and Maintenance,’ and 16 are ‘Retired,'” noted Posnack.
The Larger Trend
ASTP’s Office of the Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer is responsible for leading yearly inventories of HHS AI use case inventory, following requirements from Executive Order 13960 and EO 14110. These orders aim to promote the trustworthy development and use of artificial intelligence within the federal government.
OMB Memoranda M-24-10 sets requirements for AI governance, innovation, and risk management across federal agencies, ensuring concrete safeguards around the transparent and responsible use of AI.
The Biden administration has emphasized AI security and efficacy, implementing rules to govern the use of AI across government agencies, including HHS and the VA.
On the Record
“With the 2024 AI use case inventory release in our rear-view mirror, we have already started our planning for the 2025 inventory and improvements,” said Posnack. “We will also be using this curated list to engage our sister agencies and execute additional ongoing responsibilities included in M-24-10, including working with them, where applicable and appropriate, to share their AI code, models, and data.”