Value in Health Themed Section Confirms the Value of Machine Learning Methods but Also Illustrates Barriers to Widespread Adoption
Lawrenceville, NJ, USA—March 9, 2022—Value in Health, the official journal of ISPOR—The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research, announced today the publication of a series of articles showing that artificial intelligence (AI) tools have the potential to improve the organization of healthcare systems and reduce healthcare spending. However, demonstrating the economic value of AI can be challenging and current evidence regarding its efficiency is limited. The themed section was published in the March 2022 issue of Value in Health.
The themed section covers 3 main questions:
- Can AI be evaluated like any other health technology?
- What is the current state of knowledge about the efficiency of AI in health?
- What is the level of acceptance and adoption of healthcare AI tools?
“Healthcare AI tools have the potential to improve the efficiency of care pathways by allowing providers to better determine patients’ diagnosis and orientate them towards more effective care options,” wrote Guest Editors Danielle Whicher, PhD, MHS, Mathematica, Washington, DC, USA and Thomas Rapp, PhD, MSc, University of Paris and Sciences Po Paris, France. “Although AI has received considerable public attention, most healthcare AI applications are just at the research stage. This themed section shows that the public is not ready to trust these devices and that patients and providers may need more information and assurance to feel comfortable with AI in healthcare settings.”
The introductory editorial, “The Value of Artificial Intelligence for Healthcare Decision Making–Lessons Learned,” introduces the other 6 articles in the series and discusses important themes across these articles:
- “Assessing the Economic Value of Clinical Artificial Intelligence: Challenges and Opportunities,” by Hendrix N, Veenstra DL, Cheng M, et al
- “Systematic Review of Health Economic Evaluations Focused on Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: The Tortoise and the Cheetah,” by Voets MM, Veltman J, Slump CH, et al
- “A Framework for Using Real-World Data and Health Outcomes Modeling to Evaluate Machine Learning-Based Risk Prediction Models,” by Rodriguez PJ, Veenstra DL, Heagerty PJ, et al
- “The Potential Cost-Effectiveness of a Machine Learning Tool That Can Prevent Untimely Intensive Care Unit Discharge,” by de Vos J, Visser LA, de Beer AA, et al
- “Fulfilling the Promise of Artificial Intelligence in the Health Sector–Let’s Get Real,” by Hashiguchi TCO, Slawomirski L, and Oderkirk J
- “Do People Favor Artificial Intelligence Over Physicians? A Survey Among the General Population and Their View on Artificial Intelligence in Medicine,” by Yakar D, Ongena YP, Kwee TC, et al
Whicher and Rapp wrote: “While harnessing this data to develop AI tools that can improve healthcare delivery and inform diagnosis and treatment decisions has the potential to significantly improve health systems globally, there are various ethical, regulatory, and economic challenges that must be addressed. A prolonged absence of evidence supporting the economic impact of AI tools could be detrimental to its deployment in healthcare. Efficiency analyses are needed to build business models and determine value-sharing agreements between manufacturers and social insurance systems. Therefore, it is crucial to go beyond traditional cost-effectiveness evaluations and adapt current health technology assessment models to better determine the efficiency of AI tools.”
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ABOUT ISPOR
ISPOR, the professional society for health economics and outcomes research (HEOR), is an international, multistakeholder, nonprofit dedicated to advancing HEOR excellence to improve decision making for health globally. The Society is the leading source for scientific conferences, peer-reviewed and MEDLINE®-indexed publications, good practices guidance, education, collaboration, and tools/resources in the field.
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ABOUT VALUE IN HEALTH
Value in Health (ISSN 1098-3015) is an international, indexed journal that publishes original research and health policy articles that advance the field of health economics and outcomes research to help healthcare leaders make evidence-based decisions. The journal’s 2020 impact factor score is 5.725 and its 5-year impact factor score is 6.932. Value in Health is ranked 4th of 98 journals in health policy and services, 9th of 108 journals in healthcare sciences and services, and 24th of 376 journals in economics. Value in Health is a monthly publication that circulates to more than 10,000 readers around the world.
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