The artificial intelligence revolution has, at this point, made waves in and impacted nearly every aspect of government services, and federal healthcare organizations are no different. AI’s penchant for a faster, more comprehensive processing of information is particularly suited to healthcare system needs, Joe Raetano of the Department of Veterans Affairs told GovCon Wire.
“AI is revolutionizing healthcare delivery through innovations like the CLEVER GenAI pipeline, which processes over 1.5 million clinical notes daily to classify key social determinants,” Raetano, who is AI architect and engineering lead at the VA, said in an exclusive interview.
Raetano will speak on a panel discussion at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Healthcare Summit on Dec. 11 regarding the benefits of applied AI in healthcare and how the public and private sectors can work together to make big ideas happen with this new and exciting tool. Don’t miss this key networking and learning opportunity! Register today to attend next week’s event.
Information Assistant
AI is also being used at the VA to manage and assess patient data, Raetano informed us. He raised the example of the Information Assistant, “a RAG [retrieval augmented generation]-enabled, agentic chatbot that empowers VA staff to securely work with and analyze patient data.”
Safe Use
In order to ensure that the tools meet the necessary compliance and that their vulnerabilities aren’t exposed, both the CLEVER GenAI pipeline and the Information Assistant chatbot are “built with a strong foundation of security,” Raetano said. They operate using National Institute of Standards and Technology 800-53 controls and Databricks’ AI Security Framework 2.0.
Where the VA Is Going Next
Raetano and the VA are wasting no time, nor do they want to lose the progress AI is helping them make with their healthcare tech. He said there are currently plans to evolve the above-mentioned tools via “infrastructure-as-code and secure containerization strategies, enabling agents to be dynamically deployed and scaled from repositories while maintaining rigorous security standards.”
The VA AI architect is excited to discuss and expand on these topics at the 2024 Healthcare Summit next week, and hopefully field questions from the GovCon audience.
“At the summit, I’ll share insights into how these transformative approaches integrate innovation, scalability, and security to advance healthcare delivery,” Raetano previewed.
Very few spots remain at the event, which will take place at the Falls Church Marriott Fairview Park on Dec. 11 and is brought to you by Potomac Officers Club, the most elite organizer for high-level GovCon networking. Secure your place amongst competitors and peers in the healthcare technology field!
