SCAN Foundation, Dandelion Health Partner to Advance Algorithmic Equity for Older Adults

What You Should Know:

The SCAN Foundation (TSF), an independent public foundation that catalyzes bold and equitable approaches to how older adults age in both home and community, today announced it has entered into a public-private partnership with technology innovator Dandelion Health to advance algorithmic equity for older adults, especially for historically marginalized populations.The partnership will expand Dandelion’s algorithm validation offering to include social determinants of health (SDOH) of older adults, enabling developers, health systems, and payers from acute to community care settings to create more equitable algorithms used in healthcare AI and other technology applications. This expanded offering is expected to be available in June 2024.

Advancing Equitable Healthcare AI for Older Adults: A Collaborative Partnership with TSF

Elderly individuals, a demographic projected to reach 80 million in the U.S. by 2040, are frequently underrepresented in the datasets utilized for training and evaluating healthcare algorithms. This disparity has historically compounded existing social disparities, particularly affecting communities of color, individuals with low incomes, and those in underserved regions. Dandelion stands out as a burgeoning leader committed to fostering responsible and equitable healthcare AI. Among its offerings is a complimentary algorithm audit service designed to assist AI developers in gauging the efficacy and fairness of algorithms, both overall and concerning underrepresented demographic cohorts. 

Currently, Dandelion’s free validation service incorporates demographic data across three key dimensions: age, race/ethnicity, and self-reported gender. With support from TSF, Dandelion aims to broaden this state-of-the-art audit service to encompass the social determinants of health (SDOH) pertinent to older adults, including median income, social vulnerability index, and urban/rural status based on their residential zip code. Expected to be finalized by June 2024, this expanded service will be available at no cost to most users, with a premium option catering to larger organizations.

TSF distinguishes itself by collaborating with private enterprises to develop solutions that address pressing public needs. TSF directs investments toward partners and initiatives serving individuals aged 65 and above, with a particular focus on communities of color, individuals with low incomes, and those living in underserved areas. This collaboration is in harmony with TSF’s Advancing Health Equity in Aging Initiative, which seeks to mitigate health disparities and enhance the well-being of older adults from marginalized backgrounds.

“Given that vulnerable populations, especially older adults, tend to be underrepresented in AI/ML training data due to existing health disparities, algorithms built on this data may miss communities most in need,” said Anika Heavener, vice president of innovation and innovations at TSF. “We are excited to partner with Dandelion Health to create more solutions that proactively and equitably represent these populations, which is critical and urgent given the burgeoning age of AI development.”