Building Healthcare AI That Employers Can Trust
Dena Mendelsohn, Privacy Officer & Director of AI Governance, Transcarent
AI is transforming how people engage with their healthcare and benefits, while helping employers solve the growing complexity and cost of keeping a workforce healthy. HR leaders are increasingly adopting AI, making it necessary for them to understand how to capture the upside of a rapidly evolving technology, while avoiding and controlling risks.
At Transcarent, we recently conducted a study that both reinforced this notion and deepened our understanding of how HR leaders plan to use AI in the short and long term. We surveyed 1,340 U.S.-based HR and benefits decision-makers at self-funded organizations with 2,000 or more employees, and learned:
66% of HR professionals believe AI will enhance the employee experience.
62% say it will improve decision-making and analytics in HR and benefits management.
57% cite limited internal expertise as a significant barrier to AI adoption.
The Employer’s Responsibility
The time is now to become an AI expert – and it can be easier than it seems. Most employers will not build AI solutions in-house, but will partner with companies who have expertise in the specific problem they are looking to solve. Choosing the right partner is a critical responsibility. Here at Transcarent, we believe that responsible AI in healthcare and health benefits spaces must be trustworthy, reliable, transparent, and safe.
The stakes are higher in healthcare than in other areas of HR technology. That’s why we are setting a high bar for responsible AI for ourselves, and why we think it’s a standard the entire healthcare industry should meet. October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month – a perfect time for employers to closely examine current practices and how they need to evolve.
Why This Matters to Employers
Employers evaluating benefits partners must treat responsible AI as a strategic requirement. They can do this by asking the questions that reveal AI maturity:
Who’s at your governance table? True governance is interdisciplinary and diverse, not confined to a single department.
How is safety maintained over time? Oversight must be continuous, with proactive monitoring and upkeep—not just a pre-launch review.
Where is transparency built in? Members deserve clarity in the moment, and employers need confidence in documentation and accountability.
What framework applies? HIPAA compliance is a baseline, not a gold standard. Ask partners if they've successfully completed SOC 2 attestation and are HITRUST certified.
Transcarent’s Leadership Model
Governance as a team sport
AI governance that is siloed can’t be effective. That’s why we established a cross-functional AI Governance Committee of leaders from clinical care, technology, operations, legal & compliance, and employee-focused functions. Each professional perspective matters. However, professional diversity alone isn't enough. Anticipating AI’s risks requires many angles of insight. That’s where demographic diversity is important; bringing different lived experiences to the table allows us to reflect on the same information through multiple lenses. The result is governance that's more comprehensive and grounded in real-world impact.
We do this because it’s the responsible thing to do. And, it’s one of the ways we earn the trust of our employer clients. When AI is helping guide our Members’ health and care journeys, multiple perspectives aren't just helpful; they're essential.
Safety and oversight built in
AI oversight must be deliberate – that’s why we established companywide AI ethics principles, our north star for all workforce members involved in developing or deploying AI. It also must be continuous, which is why the AI systems we develop undergo rigorous pre-release testing and ongoing monitoring, including testing to surface risks like bias, hallucinations, or misuse. If issues emerge, we want to catch them early and address them quickly.
We're also proactive about anticipating regulatory requirements. New technology needs regulation that is informed by builders, users, and policymakers – and we have taken a leadership role in this effort. Our team is regularly on Capitol Hill educating policymakers to help shape policy and the regulatory process. This keeps us ahead of the curve and also helps us be nimble with the regulatory landscape as it continues to evolve across different states and jurisdictions.
Trust earned through leadership
Earning trust requires being intentional not to deploy AI in ways that could cause harmful outcomes, particularly for consequential decisions that could impact people’s health or access to care.
A commitment to responsible AI leadership must be more than rhetoric, it takes time, energy and ongoing investments to do the right thing. We are proud to lead by example, helping to shape expectations for how healthcare organizations should approach AI. That’s why we’re actively involved in policy development, testifying before the U.S. House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health, signing the Voluntary Health Sector AI Commitments, participating in the Senate AI Caucus' Health AI Demo Day on Capitol Hill, and holding leadership roles in top industry organizations, such as the Data & Trust Alliance, Consumer Technology Association, and Responsible Innovation Labs, which are establishing AI precedents across industries. Policy plays a major role in the successful deployment of new technology, and we believe healthcare organizations have a responsibility to help shape that policy thoughtfully.
Looking Toward the Future
The future of healthcare AI depends on getting this right. And getting it right means working together—across disciplines, organizations, and the entire healthcare ecosystem—to build AI that truly serves people and their health. We believe that when we hold ourselves to the highest standards of responsible AI, we’re doing the right thing for our Members and our clients. We encourage all employers to demand the same from all their partners.
Sources
Transcarent is committed to providing accurate, evidence-based information to help you make informed health decisions.
AI That Delivers: HR Leaders on Health, Trust, and Better Benefits, September 2025, Transcarent and Survey Monkey.
