Tweaking an algorithm

Researchers developed three algorithms to predict separate, but related, outcomes: patients’ future total costs, avoidable costs and chronic conditions. The number of black patients in the highest-risk group increased when the algoirthm focused on health, rather than cost.
The chart below is interactive: click or touch to see more.

Algorithm prediction, by type of outcome

Source: “Dissecting racial bias in an algorithm used to manage the health of populations,” Science Vol. 366, Issue 6464

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