Advocacy & Practice Updates — Advocacy & Practice
ASRS Recommends Enforcing Data Standardization, Updating Payment Policies and Protect Patient Access in Response to HHS AI Comment Request
Last week, ASRS submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in response to its request for information (RFI) on artificial intelligence (AI) in clinical care. In the letter, we note AI’s transformative potential in retinal disease will only be realized if federal policy addresses current barriers of data interoperability, standards, and reimbursement incentives. We urged HHS to strengthen enforcement of existing interoperability standards, modernize payment policies to recognize AI as clinical infrastructure, and support research models that promote secure but practical data sharing.
We also raised concerns about related policies that could unintentionally hinder innovation and patient access. We cautioned that NIH’s proposed Controlled-Access Data Policy, if applied too broadly to retinal imaging, could chill collaborative research and slow AI development. In addition, we urged federal oversight of commercial payer use of AI in prior authorization and auditing, and called for clear liability protections for physicians.
(Published 2.24.26)