AI and robotics could help reduce the obstetrics crisis in the U.S. in the next few years, Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said Thursday at an Axios event in Davos.
Why it matters: It's a tangible use of AI that could bring real benefits soon — better than speculating on advances 10 years from now, Oz said.
Driving the news: Oz said AI and robotics can be part of the solution for parts of America that don't have access to critical medical care, like obstetricians and mental health services.
"Within the next three years, before our administration is done, we will be using agentic AI to accelerate our ability to take care of people, especially when they're in places where we don't have access to care," Oz said at the Axios House event.
More than one-third of U.S. counties don't have any obstetricians, midwives or birthing centers. More than 500 hospitals have closed OB units since 2010.
How it works: One idea that has been proposed is to "use robots to do ultrasounds on pregnant women," Oz said. "Robots can do it. We already have simple systems that are effective."
There are also technologies under development "where you can take a wand, you don't even see the image, you get digitized insights back that tell you whether the child's OK or not."
"And frankly, I don't have to see the image. I just have to know if the image is good enough to tell me the child doesn't have a problem," Oz said.
For mental health care, "we will never, ever have enough practitioners in those areas to do this" in rural America, Oz said.
"We have AI systems now [that] augment the ability of doctors to take care of patients by fivefold, maybe more, without burning out," he said, "helping them do much of the laborious work of collecting information, and giving them some navigation tools and most importantly by allowing or empowering patients to control their own decisions."
Context: Some states already are experimenting with AI tools for expectant and new mothers, using smartphones and wearables to monitor vitals, provide maternal health advice, book vaccinations and order tests.
Oz's agency finalized a proposal last fall to expand Medicare payment policies for digital mental health services to include payment for devices used to treat ADHD. It also solicited feedback on how it might pay for innovative software algorithms and AI.
The bottom line: "I think talking about AI in 10 years is almost a futile effort. I think most of the changes are going to happen in three to five years," Oz said.
Health insurers are feeling political heat as Republicans try to shape the affordability narrative and counter Democratic messaging on health care costs.
Why it matters: President Trump and his allies have been increasingly assailing health plans over costs whileseeking to deflect blame for blocking enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that help people afford premiums.
A massive winter storm is expected to thrash a huge swath of the United States this weekend — with its impact extending from Texas all the way through New England.
Why it matters: More than half of Americans in the Lower 48 states will simultaneously experience some form of wintry precipitation this weekend, per the Washington Post.
America's blood supply faces a critical shortage while a major winter storm is forecast for parts of the South, potentially exacerbating the strain.
Why it matters: The Red Cross said blood donations were already down 35% nationally in the past month and asked people to donate to boost the supply before the winter weather hits.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang predicted Wednesday that drug research will shift from traditional labs to AI platforms, with pharma giants already making the leap.
Why it matters: The industry is betting the pivot could accelerate how fast new drugs reach patients.
The government's health care watchdog identified more than $19 billion in wasteful or fraudulent federal payments and possible cost savings during a span that included the first nine months of President Trump's second term, a report provided exclusively to Axios shows.
Why it matters: The Trump administration often cites rampant waste, fraud and abuse as justification for deep program cuts.
Republicans and Democrats are using the latest government funding package to push back against President Trump's proposed cuts to the National Institutes of Health — and limit the administration's influence over biomedical research grants.
Why it matters: The bipartisan sentiment shows that medical research and efforts to find new cures still have strong support on Capitol Hill after a turbulent year for NIH.
