Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Rollout Of Medicare's Pilot AI Prior Authorization Program Full of Bugs: Report
Stat: Medicare's AI Prior Authorization Pilot Was Rushed, New Documents Reveal
The rollout of a Medicare program that uses artificial intelligence to approve or deny care was hasty and error-ridden, according to more than a thousand pages of recently released documents and data. (Trang, 9/15)
The New York Times: Trump Administration Moves To Integrate A.I. Into Medical Care Despite Concerns
The Trump administration is accelerating efforts to make artificial intelligence an integral part of medical care in the United States, throwing the resources and support of the federal government into projects that deploy A.I. agents to diagnose and prescribe treatments to patients. The multifront effort at the Department of Health and Human Services has raised concerns among some officials over the past few months that change is moving too quickly, with inadequate evidence of the technology’s safety and effectiveness, according to people who have been involved the discussions. They also worry about outsized influence of Silicon Valley investors that have previously played little role in federal health policy. (Jewett, 9/14)
Nextgov.com: VA To Gradually Expand Medical AI Scribe Following Successful Pilots
The Department of Veterans Affairs is planning to expand the use of an artificial intelligence tool that records veteran-doctor conversations with patient consent after a series of rollouts it says have been successful. The VA first deployed the technology — known as ambient AI scribes — in October 2025 at 10 medical centers across the nation. After a series of pilots over the past year, the tools are now available to all VA Patient Aligned Care Teams’ primary care providers, behavioral health interdisciplinary program practitioners, physical medicine rehabilitation practitioners and medical and surgical specialists. (Robles, 9/14)
Medical Economics: 10 Ways AI Is Creeping Into Medical Care
Federal contracts, Medicare pilots and new state laws have pushed artificial intelligence from the edges of clinical practice into the middle of it. (Littrell, 9/14)
Bay Area News Group: How A Bay Area Healthcare System Is Navigating AI By Balancing Tech Upgrades And Patient Trust
As artificial intelligence begins to transform the workforce and reshape industries, one Bay Area healthcare system is using the technology to support doctors and streamline care. Sutter Health, a not-for-profit healthcare system based in Sacramento, serves more than 3.5 million patients throughout Northern and Central California and has significantly expanded its use of artificial intelligence in clinical care in recent years. (Gibbs, 9/14)
Medical Xpress: New AI Methods Make Medical Image Analysis More Reliable
Machine learning enables computers to learn from data and use that knowledge to make predictions or decisions. In health care, machine learning supports tasks such as disease diagnosis, predicting disease progression, treatment planning and patient monitoring. (Skeidsvoll, 9/14)
Also —
The Guardian: ‘Tidal Wave’ Of PFAS Being Launched To Satisfy AI Industry, Campaigners Warn
Pfas companies are launching a “tidal wave” of forever chemicals production to meet demand from the AI industry, a campaign organisation has warned. Despite alarm over the chemicals, which have been linked to cancer, a survey of the 10 biggest manufacturers found most had plans to increase production. Many frame their investments around the “AI revolution”, because of the role Pfas play in semiconductor production and next-generation datacentre cooling systems. (Gayle, 9/14)
AP: Gates Foundation Puts $1B To Reduce Social Inequity In AI
Bill Gates is warning technology companies and world leaders that they must act now to ensure artificial intelligence combats social inequities rather than deepening disparities — and his foundation is pledging $1 billion to improve access. (Pollard, 9/15)
