Arizona lawmakers passed a new law Thursday with the aim of limiting the use of artificial intelligence in medical claim reviews.
If signed into law, the bill would prohibit it from being used to reject a medical claim or to be required for “needs for medical care, experimental status, or other reasons involved in using medical judgment.” You are prohibited from denying your permission.
The law had two representatives abstained and cast a 58-0 vote on the floor of the state home. It must be approved by Arizona Senators and signed by Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs.
The Arizona Medical Association said Friday it was “optimistic.” He added that the bill would succeed in the Senate and would provide “critical patient protection” for health professionals.
“Patients deserve healthcare provided by humans with caring medical expertise rather than pattern-based computer algorithms designed by insurance companies,” Shelby Job, the association’s communications director, stated. It is stated in. “AI promises innovation in several areas of healthcare, but reviewing and rejecting health insurance claims (part of which represent life-changing treatments and procedures) can make subtle clinical judgments possible. It should be left to a doctor who can do it.”
Republican Rep. Julie Willoughby sponsored the bill and told the House Commerce Committee earlier this month that she hopes it protects Arizonians from losing medical access due to AI interference.
“What we’re looking for now is to look at the integrity of our providers to ensure that AI algorithms may not explain,” Willoughby said in a committee meeting. February 4th mentioned in this article.
The bill states that providers must “consider each claim or previous approval” before a health insurance company can deny the claim for that patient.
The American Medical Association has been making artificial intelligence from Heath Insurance Companies since 2023 when it was revealed that Cigna, a leading health insurance group, refused more than 30,000 claims during the review process using artificial intelligence. We are seeking more monitoring in the use of.
Still, experts say there is still little state or federal oversight for “both the development and use of algorithms by health insurance companies.”
The Arizona law comes into effect on January 1, a few weeks after California enacted its own version of the bill.
Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the law in September, and AI’s intentions are to be used by licensed doctors to “notify decisions to approve, modify or reject requests by providers.” Ensures that you oversee the use of decision tools.
Sen. Josh Becker, a Democrat, wrote the bill, arguing that AI “has great potential to enhance healthcare delivery, but it should not replace physician expertise and judgement.”
“The algorithm fails to fully understand a patient’s unique medical history and needs, and misuse can have catastrophic consequences,” Becker said in a statement on the bill’s death.
In the wake of California law, at least 11 states have also introduced laws to push back the use of artificial intelligence when considering medical claims.
The Texas bill, introduced by Republican Sen. Charles Schwartner, has set artificial intelligence-based algorithms as “the sole basis for decisions to reject, delay, or modify healthcare services in full or partial ways.” It says it should not be used.
The bill has not yet been passed, but the Texas Patients Coalition celebrated its introduction last month, saying that “life-changing healthcare decisions will remain in the hands of health professionals, rather than a massive insurance automation system.” I said it is important to guarantee it.”
