Look Outside Hospitals to Root Out Biased Software: Researchers

Removing racial bias from evolving health technology means soliciting help from professionals who aren’t necessarily clinicians, health-care representatives said during a Dec. 5 panel.

Outrage over bias in computer codes that can consistently learn comes after a recent Science study found a commonly used software tool intended to pinpoint patients who suffer from certain conditions such as cancer, depression, and diabetes prioritizes care for healthier white patients than sicker black patients.

Care access for black patients could increase from roughly 18% to nearly 50% if the software’s disparity gap narrows, according to the study. Now the health-care industry is looking ...