Cancer Screening Connection · October 2026 · Special Edition
Improving Cancer Screening Across Health Centers
Partnering to strengthen cancer screening in health centers
Welcome
Welcome to this special edition of Cancer Screening Connection! This issue focuses on artificial intelligence (AI) and what it can realistically do for health centers working to strengthen cancer screening.
We share key takeaways from the first two sessions of our Community of Practice, Clinical Workflows and AI: Practical Adoption in Health Centers.
Featured Article
Clinical Workflows and AI: Separating the Practical From the Overstated
AI is moving quickly into health care, and health centers are being asked to make decisions about it while managing workforce constraints and documentation burden. Our Community of Practice is helping health centers navigate these decisions, starting with a clear look at where AI is making a real difference today and what it takes to adopt it responsibly.
Ambient scribes, which listen to a visit and draft the clinical note, are the most widely deployed generative AI tool in health care today. Health centers are integrating AI into EHRs for reminders, billing, and decision support. Meanwhile, staff often use general-purpose AI tools informally and without policy guidance.
AI by the Numbers
Key Takeaways
Know what kind of AI you are evaluating. “AI-powered” can mean rules-based automation, predictive tools such as risk scores, or generative AI that writes notes and messages. Each type fails differently and needs different safeguards.
Accuracy does not guarantee use. In a recent emergency department study, physicians opened a well-performing AI decision support tool in 68% of eligible visits in the first week but only 30% by the fourth week, with use dropping on busier days.3 Plan for workflow fit and adoption, not just tool performance.
Strong data comes first. A screening registry built on incomplete data will produce outreach lists that look confident but miss eligible patients. For many tasks, a well-maintained EHR report or spreadsheet is a practical first step.
Review every AI-generated note. AI notes can omit important details or include statements no one made, and a wrong note can read just as smoothly as a correct one. The clinician who signs the note, not the vendor, is responsible for its accuracy.
Make consent part of the workflow. Recent lawsuits allege that patients were recorded by ambient AI tools without consent, and in one case that the record stated patients had consented when no such conversation took place.4 These claims are unproven, but they show that risk often comes from the consent process and vendor data practices, not the technology itself. Ask vendors where audio goes and how long it is kept.
Five Questions to Ask Before Adopting Any AI Tool
- What workflow are we trying to improve?
- What is failing in it today?
- Is AI the right intervention, or would a rule, a registry, or a process change solve it?
- What result would tell us it worked?
- What happens when it is wrong, stops working, or stops being used?
Turn Insight Into Action
This month, take a 15-minute inventory of where AI already touches your center, including tools staff use informally. Then check whether your patient consent language states that a visit may be recorded and processed by a third-party AI service. If it does not, flag it for your compliance lead.
Resources
- npj Digital Medicine: Beyond Human Ears: Navigating the Uncharted Risks of AI Scribes in Clinical Practice
- JAMA Network Open: Use of Ambient AI Scribes to Reduce Administrative Burden and Professional Burnout
- Nature Medicine: Prospective Evaluation of a Large Language Model Clinical Decision Support System in the Emergency Department
- Becker’s Hospital Review: Patient Sues Sharp HealthCare Over Ambient AI Use
Resource Spotlight: AI Resources for Health Centers
Stay Connected. Take Action.
Visit our website or explore the event calendar for upcoming learning opportunities.
Upcoming Learning Opportunities
October 28, 2026 · 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. ET · CEUs available
Beyond the Mammogram: Implementing Comprehensive Breast Cancer Screening in Health Centers
November 17, 2026 · 3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. ET · CEUs available
Scanning for Life: Launching a Screening Program for Lung Cancer Among an All-Rural Population
This newsletter was produced for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Bureau of Primary Health Care, under contract number 47QTCA22D007G. This publication lists non-federal resources in order to provide additional information to consumers. Neither HHS nor HRSA has formally approved the non-federal resources in this newsletter. Listing these is not an endorsement by HHS nor HRSA. This newsletter is for informational and quality-improvement purposes only and does not represent HRSA policy, requirements, or performance standards.