Industry Watcher’s Digest

Buzzworthy developments of the past few days.

• If there’s an economic sector whose workforce is largely AI-proof, healthcare is it. The conclusion seems reasonable given healthcare’s hold on all 10 spots in ResumeGenius’s new list of the top 10 highest-paying, fastest-growing jobs that AI won’t replace. You need to include veterinarian to make it a clean sweep, but hey. In dog- and cat-loving America, animals may as well be people too. Physician assistants are at the head of the class, with 27% job growth projected from 2022-32 and median annual salary of $130,020. Nurse practitioners are in second but arguably tied, with a slightly lower salary and stronger projected growth. ResumeGenius based its selections on three criteria—a minimum U.S. median annual salary of $48,060, an estimated job growth rate of more than 10% for the 2022–2032 period, and a risk of automation under 20%. Read the report. 
   
• The next presidential administration and Congress already have their work in healthcare AI cut out for them. The D.C.-based Brookings Institution lays it out. The White House and federal legislators “should preemptively identify a regulatory framework that can guard against potential negative consequences of the widespread use of AI tools in healthcare,” the think tank states in commentary posted Sep. 5. “If and when large-scale application of AI tools to healthcare takes place, it could have substantial implications for Americans’ health as well as the U.S. economy.” Read the piece. 
   
• Improper payments cost government payers $100 billion last year. No wonder some good capitalists have spotted an opportunity to leverage AI for tightening up the ship. The alert businesspeople are led by New Mountain Capital, which is forming a new company by melding three businesses in its portfolio into one. The new entity doesn’t yet have a name, but it looks to be worth $3 billion and employ 2,000 workers right out of the gate, according to Bloomberg. The company’s founding CEO will be David Pierre, outgoing COO at New Mountain’s Signify Health. Pierre tells Bloomberg AI will help spot patterns indicative of fixable blunders in claims filed or payments made. For example, “a medical record for an emergency visit with head trauma and shards of glass could indicate an injury in a car crash. That claim might be the responsibility of an auto insurer rather than a medical plan.”
   
• How beneficial will healthcare AI be in nonclinical operations? It’s too soon to say, suggests Justin Coran, PhD, chief analytics officer at Renown Health in Nevada. “[T]here’s going to be a bit of a balancing act between how much you can spend in nonclinical operations and really be able to afford, especially if you’re a nonprofit health system. I see a huge boom of AI on the clinical operations side and a little bit of cautiousness on the nonclinical operations side.” Coran offered his take to Becker’s Hospital Review, which also rounded up quick but insightful quotes from AI thought leaders at NYC Health + Hospitals, HCA Healthcare and Mass General Brigham. 
   
• I’ll need to see your personhood credentials. Don’t be surprised if you start hearing that soon whenever you try to go online. It could be like satisfying Captcha that you’re not a bot—but harder to please. “Personhood credentials could come in multiple forms, but they will all generate cryptographic proof to verify you,” CNET explains. “It could be a certificate in your web browser. It could be linked to your biometric data, like your fingerprint, iris, face or voice. Or it could be a blockchain-based token like a nonfungible token.” Get the rest. 
   
• AI, genomics and a focus on preventive healthcare. These three things are trending at once, making the present moment an “unprecedented time for tackling healthcare challenges” like aging populations worldwide. The observation is from Ong Ye Kung, the health minister of Singapore, who spoke at a fireside chat this week. According to event coverage by ZDNet, Ong suggested robust data management, including privacy and security, will be key to combining genomics with AI to serve aging patients as individuals as well as at the population level. 
   
• Here’s the healthcare AI primer you didn’t know you needed. At least for sharing with friends and family who wonder what the fuss is all about. Or worry about something they’ve heard from a low-information chatterer or two. The composition is from Cleveland Clinic, and it’s basic enough for rank-and-file consumers but interesting enough to edify intermediate enthusiasts. It’s also Cleveland Clinic-centric, but that should be no barrier. Read and share. 
   
• And if your interlocutor still has reservations? Show them the AI testimonial of 5-year-old Mozzi.
   
• Recent research in the news: 
   
  • University of Cincinnati: AI tool to guide UC medical students through reflective practice
     
  • Icahn School of Medicine: New AI-Driven Tool Could Revolutionize Brain Pressure Monitoring in Intensive Care Patients
     
  • Boston University: Study finds using an AI technology improves sexual and reproductive health education
     
  • Washington State University: New AI hair analysis method holds promise for improved health research 
     
• AI funding news of note:
   
  • OpenAI co-founder Sutskever’s new safety-focused AI startup SSI raises $1 billion
     
  • Segmed secures $10.4M series A funding, led by iGan Partners and Advocate Health
     
  • Mayo Clinic to launch AI education program through $10M gift from Harper Family Foundation
     
• From AIin.Healthcare’s news partners:
   
  • Radiology Business: AI triage system fails to improve radiologist performance or turnaround times
     
  • Health Imaging: GPT-4 is better at explaining IR procedures than physicians
     
  • Cardiovascular Business: Viz.ai partners with Cleerly in the name of AI-based CCTA evaluations
     
  • Radiology Business: Samsung finalizes $92M acquisition of French ultrasound AI firm Sonio