Legal Considerations Critical as AI in Healthcare Burgeons

Healthcare and privacy attorney Shannon Hartsfield was quoted in a Medical Device Network article discussing the legal implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare. AI use in the industry is expected to continue to increase, with a projected $19 billion valuation by 2027. Ms. Hartsfield emphasized that although AI tools offer transformative capabilities, providers using them must still comply with existing laws such as the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and state privacy regulations, particularly regarding patient consent and the use of protected health information (PHI).

"HIPAA requires covered entities to conduct a risk analysis to identify potential threats or hazards to the security of PHI," she said. "This likely requires a detailed assessment of how data flows into and out of the AI tool, how the tool will avoid sharing PHI with unauthorized third parties, and how the vendor developing the tool will ensure compliance with its own HIPAA obligations."

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