Jesse Scheckner
A bipartisan funding plan for the digitization of cancer pathology at the nonprofit Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa may be on the chopping block if lawmakers don’t break through a budget impasse.
The Legislature reconvened this week to negotiate on the state’s 2025-26 spending plan. There is a lot of agreement, but also ample disagreement.
Among the latter is a proposal to set aside funds from Florida’s general revenue to significantly upgrade the diagnostic and operational capabilities at Moffitt.
As of Wednesday, the Senate is offering $4.4 million to the project. That’s about half the sum St. Petersburg Democratic Sen. Darryl Rouson and Palm Harbor Republican Rep. Adam Anderson sought in similar appropriation requests filed in February.
For now, the House isn’t offering anything, though it could budge from that position as cross-rotunda talks advance. It could also throw cash at the project as a sprinkle list item.
Moffitt is actively working to digitize its cancer pathology to improve diagnoses, research and patient care. This includes converting traditional glass slides into high-resolution digital images using whole-slide imaging and integrating artificial intelligence and machine learning to develop algorithms for diagnosing and grading various types of cancer.
The technology would be broadly useful, but its application in telepathology would have a significant impact on areas with limited healthcare access, especially rural communities, according to the funding requests.
To bolster that effort, the center has partnered with tech firms such as NVIDIA, Oracle, and Deloitte.
“By leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, we can unlock new insights, streamline workflows and ultimately improve patient outcomes,” said Dana Rollison, Moffit’s Vice President, Chief Data Officer and Associate Center Director of Data Science, when announcing the tech collaborations.
This past February, Rouson and Anderson requested $8.712 million for the Department of Health to support the first year of Moffitt’s implementation of the technology, including the acquisition of advanced scanning systems, integration of new software solutions, and training of relevant personnel.
The funds would also be used to hire two new full-time pathology specialists, three information technology employees, and five additional support staff.
Notably, Rouson’s funding request listed the $8.712 million set-aside as the sole funding source for Moffitt’s digital overhaul. Anderson’s included a separate $2.7 million from non-government sources.
Both said the state earmark would be a one-time deal.
U.S. News and World Report ranks Moffitt the 27th best hospital for cancer in the nation and the second best in Florida behind the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville.
