Overview
- At a Jan. 16 White House roundtable, Dr. Mehmet Oz said many Alabama counties lack OB-GYNs and called robot-conducted ultrasounds "pretty cool."
- CMS recently spotlighted Alabama’s Maternal and Fetal Health Initiative, which proposes telerobotic ultrasound devices financed by a $203 million Rural Health Transformation grant created under the Big Beautiful Bill.
- The telerobotic systems allow a remote sonographer to control a probe for real-time imaging, which proponents say could speed diagnosis in underserved areas.
- Democrats including Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Tammy Duckworth condemned Oz’s remarks, and advocates argue the technology cannot substitute for in-person clinicians.
- Alabama faces widespread maternity care deserts, one of the nation’s highest maternal mortality rates, and a 21.2% drop in OB-GYN residency applicants since Dobbs, and state lawmakers are expected to take up implementation legislation.