(Radio Iowa) – Artificial intelligence or A-I could play a larger role in caring for Iowa’s 182-thousand military veterans. Dr. Mahsaw Mansoor is a resident physician at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Through her work in the Veterans Affairs health care system, she says they’re testing the use of A-I technology to recognize eye degeneration in people with diabetes, all without a physician being present.

Mansoor says, “If we can deconstruct that work, especially in a state like Iowa where the majority are coming from rural areas, small towns, I think it’s hard to imagine a reality where we are not going to be improving the status quo.” Mansoor made her comments during a hearing Monday in Iowa City that was called by Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who chairs a House subcommittee that looks at veterans’ healthcare. Miller-Meeks, who was an ophthalmologist before going to Congress, says she supports tools that can get Iowans the care they need, especially given the state’s shortage of health care workers.

“You want to have access to healthcare, even if you live in a rural area, so how do you do that,” Miller-Meeks says, “and one of the ways to do that is to leverage AI.” During the hearing, Mansoor said the V-A is also testing the use of A-I to flag veterans who might be at higher risk of suicide.