INDUSTRY MATTERS
How Investing in AI Helps the Public Health Mission
By Alan Marcus , chief growth officer , LabVantage Solutions
Public health effectiveness has been under the microscope since the COVID-19 pandemic , with underfunding emerging as a cause that needs correcting . And among the prescriptions , investment in data management and technology is paramount .
CDC ’ s Data Modernization Initiative has received $ 1.1 billion in congressional funding since 2020 , while it is estimated that another $ 7.84 billion is needed through 2028 to strengthen public health data collection and reporting at the state and local levels .
Public health laboratories — whether federal or state , tribal , local or territorial — find themselves exploring myriad options for investment , with laboratory information management systems ( LIMS ) among them . Described as “ the backbone for laboratory data collection , analysis , management and sharing ,” LIMS and adjacent solutions for electronic lab reporting ( ELR ) and electronic test ordering and reporting ( ETOR ) require a $ 1.032 billion investment over the next five years .
Implementing a laboratory informatics platform , rather than standalone solutions , provides the breadth of data management and analysis required for today ’ s and tomorrow ’ s needs . This approach expands LIMS capabilities to include not only a laboratory execution system ( LES ), electronic laboratory notebook ( ELN ), and scientific data management system ( SDMS ), but also advanced analytics and semantic search functionality . With a secure portal that provides access to roles / responsibilities-controlled data , public health laboratories gain the necessary functionality for their workflows , while optimizing enterprise and cross-agency data flows for actionable insights that improve decision making in disease , disaster and bioterrorism surveillance and intervention .
With artificial intelligence / machine learning ( AI / ML ) and predictive and prescriptive analytic capabilities available as part of a public health laboratory informatics platform , a number of processes improve immediately :
• Disease surveillance and outbreak detection
• Resource optimization and allocation
• Data privacy
• Transparency
Advanced analytics leveraging semantic search tools seamlessly access public health data lakes and instantly analyze the volume , velocity and variety in a way no humans ever could , from social media to healthcare records to environmental factors . This helps public health laboratorians and other officials predict disease outbreaks in near-real time by rapidly identifying patterns and predicting the potential spread of infectious diseases before they become widespread . It also enables diseaseprogression tracking , allowing for quicker public health interventions .
AI can also be used to analyze multisource public health data to identify high-risk populations , thus allowing public health officials to target resources and interventions more effectively . Advanced analytics in the laboratory can help allocate limited resources , like vaccines or medications , to areas with the greatest need to ensure healthcare equity .
A laboratory informatics platform also ensures data privacy and transparency through enforced SOPs of data collection and use . A well-designed solution builds data integrity into workflows , ensuring laboratorians are routinely prompted to gather , store and report data in a compliant manner . In addition , strong data governance practices can help mitigate any algorithmic bias in AI .
This comprehensive informatics approach can lead to other benefits , such as better public health education and mental health support through AI-generated chat bots and virtual assistants that provide 24 / 7 / 365 access to reliable health information or conduct virtual mental health screenings and direct users to appropriate resources .
The inclusion of AI / ML , predictive and prescriptive analytics , and semantic search in public health offers numerous benefits . LabVantage Solutions ’ advanced analytics LIMS platform offers more than 1,000 AI algorithms and 500 visualization options , while its semantic search solution ( AILANI ) enables users to integrate proprietary and public data to generate added value . A comprehensive pre-configured informatics platform for public health laboratories is a worthy investment to ensure the success of the public health mission . g
LabVantage Solutions is an APHL Platinum Level Sustaining Member .
12 LAB MATTERS Fall 2024
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