In a new interview on the Healthcare Info Security podcast, Akerman Healthcare Partner Betsy Hodge discusses the privacy risks posed by AI embedded into software tools used by healthcare organizations — a concern she says is on par with shadow AI. "There are applications, software, tools or services that vendors are providing that historically did not incorporate AI, but now they have," Betsy tells the podcast. She advises healthcare entities to scrutinize where vendors may be incorporating AI into their products and to conduct risk analyses to identify which applications pose the greatest risk if data is used improperly. Betsy also addresses privacy issues involving de-identified patient data in AI tools, including re-identification risks and HIPAA breach considerations.
While urging vigilance on the privacy front, Betsy sees significant upside ahead, noting that the evolution from administrative AI applications to clinical uses within healthcare systems and health plans "offers a lot of promise."