Radiology Societies Urge HHS to Reject Proposed Deregulation of Specific AI Software

Reston, VA (March 8, 2020) – In a March 5, 2021 letter from the American College of Radiology^® (ACR^®), Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) and Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM) urged US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials to reject a “midnight” proposal by the immediate-past HHS Secretary to permanently exempt certain medical devices from the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) 510(k) premarket notification requirements.

The proposal would include several types of devices used by radiologists in patient care, including artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML)-enabled software for computer-assisted/aided triage, detection or diagnosis. It was noteworthy for the lack of FDA involvement and for contradicting the agency’s stated plans for enhancing oversight of AI/ML-enabled software.

“The proposal is extraordinarily concerning from a patient safety perspective. Although we do not anticipate implementation by the current administration, informatics experts must inform regulators of the potentially harmful impacts resulting from this idea in case the proposal resurfaces,” said Howard B. Fleishon, MD, MMM, FACR, Chair of the ACR Board of Chancellors.

While the FDA has cleared or authorized many AI/ML-enabled devices for the radiology market, the agency continues to face oversight challenges due to the impact on algorithm performance of changing practice environments, diverse patient populations and input devices. The ACR will continue to work with the FDA on these issues.

“We encourage the FDA to bolster their capabilities to ensure algorithms perform as intended in the real world and over time,” said Christoph Wald, MD, PhD, MBA, FACR, Chair of the ACR Commission on Informatics. “This should include multisite validation, post-market monitoring of longitudinal performance and other measures.”

Bibb Allen Jr., MD, FACR, Chief Medical Office of the ACR Data Science Institute® said, “The priority of the FDA in this space must be to ensure safety and effectiveness — effectively doing so will ultimately help establish trust and promote clinical adoption of AI/ML-enabled innovations.”

To arrange an interview with an ACR representative, please contact Shawn Farley or Debbie Kakol at 703-648-8936 or [email protected].

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About the American College of Radiology
The American College of Radiology^® (ACR^®), founded in 1924, is a professional medical society composed of diagnostic radiologists, radiation oncologists, interventional radiologists, nuclear medicine physicians and medical physicists, dedicated to serving patients and society by empowering radiology professionals to advance the practice, science and professions of radiological care.