Thursday morning in the Rayburn Office Building on Capitol Hill, Consumer Technology Association® (CTA) President and CEO Gary Shapiro stood alongside Congressman Troy Balderson (R-OH) and Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-IL) to announce the newly-established Congressional Digital Health Caucus.
This bipartisan group of lawmakers will create a platform for dialogue and collaboration among experts from government, the private sector, and the healthcare industry. By fostering partnerships and driving informed discussions, the Caucus will shape policies that support the integration of digital health technologies into the healthcare landscape. Since the launch on Thursday, Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL), Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK), and Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) have joined the Caucus.
The announcement was followed by an expert panel focused on the integration of AI technology into U.S. healthcare systems featuring:
Peter Clardy, MD, Senior Clinical Specialist, Google
David Rhew, MD, Global Chief Medical Officer and VP of Healthcare, Microsoft
Maulik Shah, General Counsel, Hippocratic AI
Angela A. Shippy, MD, MHA, FACP, FHM, Senior Physician Executive and Clinical Innovation Lead at Amazon Web Services
Leaders involved with the announcement shared the following comments:
Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-2): “From telehealth visits to virtual treatment monitoring, digital technology is transforming medicine and improving prevention and treatment options at a rapid pace. I’m proud to co-chair the bipartisan Digital Health Caucus with Congressman Troy Balderson to identify innovative applications for digital technology in healthcare. The Digital Health Caucus will work to ensure that historically marginalized communities have equal access to these groundbreaking advancements. By incorporating the responsible use of technology into our caring systems, patients will be able to access ever-growing possibilities for treatment and prevention.” Official Statement.
Congressman Troy Balderson (OH-12): “As lawmakers, we must foster innovation in health care and ensure accessibility and affordability for patients. Thanks to rapid advancements in health care technology, we can achieve all three. Congresswoman Robin Kelly and I are excited to launch the Digital Health Caucus, which will bring together Members of Congress who are passionate about improving health care outcomes and making health systems more efficient. Quality health care has too often been isolated to areas around bigger cities, limiting access for rural Americans. Digital health care can finally close the urban-rural divide and make quality care available to all, regardless of zip code.” Official Statement.
Peter Clardy, MD, Senior Clinical Specialist, Google: “The Digital Health Caucus is an important step forward in addressing a critical component of healthcare -- the use of technology to improve patient care and workforce capabilities. At Google, we believe healthcare moves at the speed of trust. Having a venue like the Digital Health Caucus promises to provide a positive step forward in building the trust needed to ensure that transformative technological advances are available to everyone, everywhere equally.”
Angela A. Shippy, MD, MHA, FACP, FHM, Senior Physician Executive and Clinical Innovation Lead, Amazon Web Services: “Cloud-based digital health tools and AI have already and will continue to improve patient care, clinician experience, and public health. Responsible adoption of AI can equip patients, caregivers, and clinicians with state-of-the-art technologies while promoting US innovation. Today’s launch of the congressional Digital Health Caucus reinforces bipartisan support for using innovative technologies, like AI, to enhance the quality and safety of care. AWS looks forward to collaborating with Congress and our customers to advance responsible use of AI in healthcare.”
David Rhew, MD, Global Chief Medical Officer and VP of Healthcare, Microsoft: “AI runs on trust. We need trust in the data to feel confident that AI will perform as expected. We need trust in the processes to feel that we have the right guardrails in place. And we need trust in the people to ensure that individuals know how to apply the AI effectively, responsibly, and with transparency. Successful implementation of AI will require that we marry technology, process, and people. At Microsoft, we believe in the power of collaboration and that through public-private partnerships we can together achieve the full promise of AI.”
Carlos Nunez, MD, Chief Medical Officer, ResMed: “We stand at a pivotal crossroads as policymakers look to harness the potential of digital health in a post-pandemic era where technology affects every aspect of consumers’ lives. This newly established Congressional Digital Health Caucus is poised to guide the industry’s evolution, which is critical given that healthcare represents nearly 20% of the GDP in the world's most robust economy. The future of healthcare isn't just digital; it's a pathway to more accessible, efficient, and equitable care for all.”
Gary Shapiro, President and CEO of CTA: “We know getting things done on the Hill isn’t always easy. But this is a bipartisan priority, and the Digital Health Caucus will address issues we should all get behind: helping Americans access and afford quality health care – and helping the American tech companies and other innovators leading the way in this space. That means public policies that support health innovation.”
To learn more about the Congressional Digital Health Caucus, contact Catherine Pugh at CPugh@cta.tech.