Imaging advocacy groups are urging members of Congress to address the scarcity of artificial intelligence solutions in the pediatric care space.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared hundreds of AI-powered software devices over the years. Yet, vendors have only developed one specifically for use in treating children, the Society for Pediatric Radiology and American College of Radiology wrote in recently submitted comments.
Both are asking the House “Healthy Future Task Force” to encourage AI progress in pediatrics.
“The private sector has invested substantially in radiology artificial intelligence development; however, with rare exception, innovations currently on the market have been intended for use only on adult patients,” leaders with both societies wrote in March 11 letter to lawmakers. “The ACR and SPR strongly urge the subcommittee to draft healthcare policies that encourage innovation in safe and effective pediatric radiology AI,” they added later.
Their comments come in response to a January request for information from Reps. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark.; Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio; and John Joyce, MD, R-Penn. The three Republicans issued their call to healthcare stakeholders, seeking to spur medical innovation and improve access to new treatments, with submissions due March 11.
ACR and SPR suggested four possible fixes to address the lack of pediatric AI solutions. Those included establishing research programs that prioritize the development of AI in pediatric radiology and mandating a report to Congress on a national strategy to address this concern. The two societies also suggested designating any submissions of such software to the FDA as “breakthrough” devices, allowing for expedited review, along with enhancing public access to info about AI products.
“There is limited publicly accessible information about whether currently available AI products were trained and/or tested using pediatric data,” ACR Executive VP Cynthia Moran and SPR Board Chair J. Damien Grattan-Smith, MBBS noted. “This is important because AI developed for adults may not always perform effectively and could post additional safety concerns, when used on pediatric patients.”
The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance, representing device manufacturers, also submitted comments to the task force, highlighting ongoing challenges in AI development.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.