State efforts in regulating AI and ensuring its safety

As an emergency physician in Allegheny County, Venkat shares in the excitement around AI and its potential, especially to relieve health care workers with time-consuming tasks like patient charting, medical documentation and assessing staffing needs.

But it also requires great scrutiny, he said. Could this evolving technology one day supersede humans’ roles in clinical decision making? Could it deny health insurance coverage for lifesaving treatments without any human intervention? Or leave the door open to new cybersecurity risks for sensitive patient information?

Pennsylvania has existing laws on health care ethics, patient privacy and data collection, transparency and informed consent, as well as consumer protections for health insurance, but they don’t specifically speak to AI.

“Right now, it is the Wild West when it comes to artificial intelligence, as to whether in the deployment of artificial intelligence, those laws are being followed,” he said.

The proposed bill would create a rule book for how health providers and companies could apply AI in clinical settings, the health insurance sector and in data collection, “without creating an onerous burden that would prevent them from continuing to innovate and apply artificial intelligence where it may be appropriate,” Venkat said.

Patients should be told when AI is involved in their care, he said, and a human should be responsible for any final decisions on treatment and health insurance coverage.

The bill also calls for AI tools and software that prevent bias and discrimination in health care settings, not reinforce or add to it.

Without legislation at the federal level to build on, Venkat said it’s up to individual states to address AI sooner rather than later.

“I think we have no choice but to move forward in this regard,” he said.

Independent, nonregulatory groups like the Patient Safety Authority are just beginning to monitor and assess AI in Pennsylvania health care systems and its impact on patients.

The authority looks for new and emerging issues that affect patient safety. Hospitals, nursing homes and health offices are required to report misdiagnoses, fall injuries, medication errors and other kinds of adverse events.

The number of safety reports that specifically mention the involvement of AI is small right now, Jones said, but she expects it will grow — not necessarily because the technology is becoming unsafe, but rather in the hopes that health care workers will become more aware of how and when AI is contributing to care.

But so far, early data show that AI is having more positive effects on patient care rather than negative.

“We don’t want to only focus on the negative. We want to see where it is performing well for patient safety, as well,” Jones said. “In those cases where there was an event that actually did occur, but the AI came along and somehow helped to identify it sooner, we want to know that.”

Get ready, King of Prussia, something new is coming to the community.

Valley Forge Casino Resort announced a partnership with NBA legend and Philadelphia icon Charles Barkley to open a new steakhouse and cigar lounge at the Boyd Gaming-owned resort.

“The Philadelphia area has always felt like home to me, and I’m thrilled to bring something new to a community that’s played such a big part in my life,” Charles Barkley said in a news release. “We’re creating a spot that’s fun, comfortable, and full of personality. I want it to be the kind of place where people can unwind, share a great meal and feel that same energy and connection that make this community so special.”

The steakhouse is set to “fuse contemporary elegance with nods to Barkley’s storied career.” It will have personal memorabilia and design elements that celebrate him and his ties to the Philadelphia region.

Next door to the steakhouse, the cigar lounge will have a club-like vibe with a walk-in humidor, private lockers and a bar.

“Charles Barkley’s personality, charisma and love for Philadelphia make him an incredible partner, and we are incredibly honored to have the opportunity to bring his vision to life at Valley Forge Casino Resort,” said Martha Morales, Vice President and General Manager of Valley Forge Casino Resort.

Officials said that at Valley Forge, Barkey will help shape the restaurant’s menu and overall vision.

Boyd Gaming has even entered a national partnership to feature spirits from Redmont Distilling Co., Barkley’s signature liquor brand, across all of its properties.

In addition, Boyd Gaming will make an annual contribution to Barkley’s charitable foundation, The Charles Barkley Foundation, which supports education and historically Black colleges and universities.

Known as one of the greatest players in NBA history, Barkley first rose to fame as a power forward for the Philadelphia 76ers from 1984 to 1992.

After retiring from the NBA, Barkey became a successful television analyst, working on shows such as “Inside the NBA.”

Fentanyl continues to destroy lives across the state, and western Pennsylvania is not immune.

Pennsylvania’s attorney general was in Pittsburgh on Monday to talk about how to stop the flow of the dangerous drug.

First, there was OxyContin, then there was heroin, and now, fentanyl is what’s taking so many lives when it comes to illegal drugs.

Attorney General Dave Sunday has released some shocking numbers. He says the battle against the deadly drug is ongoing, and they’re making progress, but this war is far from over.

“The mission is to stop fentanyl, to remove fentanyl from our streets, in our streets and neighborhoods, and to hold accountable the predatory traffickers profiting in death and destruction,” Attorney General Sunday said.

Sunday pointed out the cold reality in the form of numbers. Figures that he says add up to the fatal toll the illegal drug continues to produce.

“We have seized more than 100,000 grams, which is more than 220 pounds, through September, which puts us at over 50 million doses and counting,” Attorney General Sunday said. “Nearly 18 million doses have been seized in the greater Pittsburgh area.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2024, statewide, 3,358 people died from overdose deaths. Sixty percent of those deaths were from fentanyl, with 665 of the victims coming from Allegheny County alone.

“[The drug] enters the United States from Mexico, from chemicals in China,” Attorney General Sunday said, but it’s not exclusive.

Law enforcement officials say the precursor chemicals for fentanyl are also flowing into American ports on both coasts, with millions of pills being produced in clandestine production facilities in homes, apartments, and businesses.

“People are obtaining these pill presses, they’re making these pills, they’re making their way to schools, to colleges, to parties; it’s unbelievably dangerous,” Attorney General Sunday said.

These operations are dramatically dropping the cost of the deadly drugs.

“A few years ago, an ounce of fentanyl could be upwards of $8,000. That’s 14,000 doses of fentanyl. Today, an ounce can be purchased for $200.”

Attorney General Sunday added that times are dark, but there is hope. He cited the Law Enforcement Treatment Initiative program, otherwise known as LETI.

“The program diverts individuals out of the criminal justice system and into treatment,” Sunday said. “Long-term recovery is a very real thing.”