Heat Emergency Assessment and Tracking using AI Act

This bill, known as the HEAT AI Act, aims to combat the significant underreporting of heat-related deaths and illnesses, which currently occurs due to limitations in medical coding and inconsistent documentation. It recognizes the potential of artificial intelligence (AI), including large language models, to analyze unstructured clinical and weather data to identify cases missed by existing systems.

The legislation mandates the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Heat Illness AI Surveillance and Response Program. This program will award grants to 3 to 5 eligible entities to develop and test AI tools capable of analyzing medical records, death certificates, and coroner reports for indications of heat-related illness, integrating localized weather and occupational information to improve accuracy. Grant recipients will also use funds to implement these AI tools for surveillance, develop heat response protocols, conduct clinician training, and perform community outreach to raise awareness and prevent heat-related health issues.

Furthermore, the bill requires a study on the incidence of heat-related illness and death in the U.S. and directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue national guidelines for standardizing documentation and reporting. It also mandates the establishment of an AI advisory board to ensure transparency, fairness, and ethical considerations, including HIPAA compliance, in the program's implementation. The bill authorizes $25,000,000 for each fiscal year from 2027 through 2031 to carry out these provisions, with regular reports to Congress on progress and effectiveness.