Privacy and Security

Portrait of Kathryn Marchesini

Back to the Future: What Predictive Decision Support Can Learn from DeLoreans and The Big Short

Kathryn Marchesini | December 13, 2022

In the third blog in our series on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)-driven predictive models (data analytics tool or software) in health care, we discussed some potential risks (sometimes referred to as model harms) related to these emerging technologies and how these risks could lead to adverse impacts or negative outcomes. Given these potential risks, some have questioned whether they can trust the use of these technologies in health care.

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Portrait of Kathryn Marchesini

Two Sides of the AI/ML Coin in Health Care

Kathryn Marchesini | October 19, 2022

As we’ve previously discussed, algorithms—step by step instructions (rules) to perform a task or solve a problem, especially by a computer—have been widely used in health care for decades.  One clear use of these algorithms is through evidence-based, clinical decision support interventions (DSIs). Today, we see a rapid growth in data-based, predictive DSIs, which use models created using machine learning (ML) algorithms or other statistical approaches that analyze large volumes of real-world data (called “training data”) to find patterns and make recommendations.

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Portrait of Kathryn Marchesini

Minimizing Risks and Maximizing Rewards from Machine Learning

Kathryn Marchesini | September 7, 2022

When talking about artificial intelligence (AI) today, people are usually referring to predictive models—often driven by machine learning (ML) techniques—that “learn” from historic data and make predictions, recommendations, or classifications (outputs) which inform or drive decision making. The power of ML is in its enormous flexibility. You can build a model to predict or recommend just about anything, and we have seen it transform many sectors.

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Portrait of Kathryn Marchesini

4 Ways Using the HHS Security Risk Assessment Tool Can Help Your Organization

Kathryn Marchesini | October 30, 2019

As ONC works to advance the development and use of health IT, we know that you play an important and equal role in maintaining the public’s confidence and trust. The privacy and security of health information is always at the forefront of our work and your organization’s business practices. In the spirit of National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), we want to highlight the HHS Security Risk Assessment (SRA) Tool, which you can use to assess your organization’s security risks.

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Portrait of Kathryn Marchesini

HIPAA & Health Information Portability: A Foundation for Interoperability

Kathryn Marchesini | August 30, 2018

Twenty-two years ago this month, the U.S. Congress enacted the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). The federal Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules implemented under HIPAA, and administered and enforced by the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR), continue to serve as the national foundation of protections for individually identifiable health information, and of individuals’ rights with respect to their information, including the right to see and obtain copies of their health information from their healthcare providers and health plans.

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