The bottom line: ChatGPT can be your assistant, but not a trustworthy enough one to keep a secret. So make sure specific personal information is withheld and HIPAA security is maintained.
Biana Modilevsky, DO, is a rheumatology fellow at the University of Arizona Arthritis Center, Tucson.
Kabita Nanda, MD, is an associate professor of pediatrics at Seattle Children’s Hospital and University of Washington School of Medicine.
References
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- Summary of the HIPAA privacy rule. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2022 Oct 19. https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/laws-regulations/index.html.
- Loyola University Chicago. The 18 HIPAA identifiers. Information Technology Services. 2024. https://www.luc.edu/its/aboutus/itspoliciesguidelines/hipaainformation/the18hipaaidentifiers/.
- What are the penalties for HIPAA violations? The HIPAA Journal. https://www.hipaajournal.com/what-are-the-penalties-for-hipaa-violations-7096/#whatconstitutesahipaaviolation.
- Kanter GP, Packel EA. Health care privacy risks of AI chatbots. JAMA. 2023 Jul 25;330(4):311–312.
- Lopez I. UnitedHealthcare accused of AI use to wrongfully deny claims (1). Bloomberg Law. 2023 Nov 14. https://news.bloomberglaw.com/health-law-and-business/unitedhealthcareaccused-of-using-ai-to-wrongfully-deny-claims.
- CASE 0:23-cv-03514. United States District Court District of Minnesota. 2023 Nov 14. https://aboutblaw.com/bbs8.
- Rucker P. How Cigna saves millions by having its doctors reject claims without reading them. Propublica. 2023 Mar 25. https://www.propublica.org/article/cigna-pxdx-medical-health-insurance-rejection-claims.
