August 11, 2024

Whether your experience with artificial intelligence (AI) is limited to your interactions with Siri or you’re reviewing predictive analytics for your practice while your smart car drives you to the surgery center, odds are you have questions about AI and how it may come into play in the practice of medicine. Don’t miss Sunday’s breakfast symposium, which will cover AI and the ethical implications that may arise from its use.

J. Kevin West, JD, and Luke Cicchinelli, DPM, chief medical director for PICA, will join forces for this presentation, which is one of two required for PICA policyholders to earn up to a 15-percent premium discount.

Potential applications for AI in medicine include everything from medical note generation to coding and billing support to risk assessments and diagnostic support. AI already is being used in early detection of cancers by refining how radiologists review imaging studies, for example.

These more sophisticated uses, however, pose serious questions about patient safety and ethics. “The reality of artificial intelligence is that if the data we put in is junk, the data that comes out is junk,” Dr. Cicchinelli said. “AI is susceptible to inequities, biases, and discrimination.”

It also creates a potential for unintended fraud and abuse in coding and billing. “Let’s say you start to rely on AI-generated records for billing and not self-auditing,” Dr. Cicchinelli said. “There’s a potential for over-reliance, and we’ll all want to be monitoring as we go along.”

PICA continues to monitor the medicolegal landscape to see how plaintiffs’ attorneys are leveraging AI in malpractice suits. “We’re going to have to watch and learn and assess,” Dr. Cicchinelli said. “I hope attendees see the incredible potential for efficiency and productivity from AI but remain vigilant and diligent about maintaining control of the ship. I heard somewhere that AI might be better termed IA: intelligence augmented. I think that’s a nice way to think of it. Look at it like an assistant that can make your life easier, but you are still the one who has to make the call.”