Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) is a critical aspect of a healthcare organization’s financial success, ensuring seamless and efficient coding, billing, and claim tracking. Traditional RCM practices have often been marred by complexities, leading to revenue leakage, claim denials, and administrative inefficiencies. However, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in Medical Coding and other RCM processes can bring about transformative changes that can immensely benefit healthcare organizations.
(image source – globenewswire.com)
High-quality and compliant medical coding is essential for the financial viability of healthcare organizations. However, the industry faces significant challenges, including a shortage of professional medical coders leading to increased coder burnout, delayed payment cycles, and other operational and financial issues [1]. Let us look into the potential of AI/ML in building modern coding solutions that will optimize Revenue Cycle Management.
Challenges in Medical Coding
There are significant pain points faced by medical coding personnel. The two most common challenges are staffing shortages (39%) and employee burnout (25%). The shortage of coders has led to an increased workload for existing coders, potentially resulting in burnout due to the pressure to maintain turnaround times. Compliance issues (13%) are also cited as a major challenge, given the constant updates in coding guidelines from various organizations. These interconnected challenges call for a comprehensive solution that addresses staffing, burnout, compliance, and high operating costs.
Some of the major challenges in Medical Coding are shown in this pie chart below –
The Current State of Medical Coding
To gain insights into the current state of medical coding and how healthcare providers are tackling RCM-related challenges, a survey was conducted at The American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC)’s HEALTHCON 2023 conference. The majority of healthcare providers (75%) rely on in-house coding teams or computer-assisted coding (CAC) solutions [2]. CAC has been a standard method for medical coding, but with the growing shortage of medical coders, providers are exploring other options, including outsourced vendors and autonomous coding solutions (3%) [3]. Industry experts predict an evolution from CAC to autonomous medical coding which uses AI/ML, and it is expected to become the standard in the coming years [4].
AI/ML-based Coding Solutions:
AL/ML-based medical coding solutions involve advanced algorithms that can analyze vast amounts of medical data, including patient charts and historical coding patterns, to accurately assign appropriate codes to medical procedures and diagnoses. Unlike traditional CAC (which is rule-based), AI/ML-based coding solutions continuously learn and adapt, improving coding accuracy over time.
Autonomous Coding Solutions:
Autonomous coding solutions leverage AI/ML and present a promising opportunity for healthcare providers to overcome the challenges in medical coding and optimize their revenue cycle management [5]. By fully automating coding for a significant percentage of charts, autonomous coding reduces the burden on medical coding staff while maintaining coding accuracy and accelerating payment cycles.
Autonomous coding is a prime example of how AI/ML technologies are transforming not just medical coding, but the entire healthcare industry. By optimizing the coding process and continuously learning from data, AI/ML coding systems streamline coding workflows, improve accuracy, and enhance Revenue Cycle Management for healthcare organizations.
By harnessing the power of AI/ML in medical coding and RCM processes, healthcare organizations can fortify their financial resilience and thrive, leading to improved financial outcomes and enhanced patient care.
Data-Core Healthcare plays a pivotal role in enhancing Revenue Cycle Management with its AI/ML-based cutting-edge solutions and medical coding services. To know more about our products and services, please contact us at [email protected]
To gain valuable insights on how AI can revolutionize Revenue Cycle Management, watch our on-demand webinar “Enhancing RCM with AI” at Enhancing RCM with AI – Webinar – YouTube
References:
[1] https://www.ama-assn.org/about/leadership/addressing-another-health-care-shortage-medical-coders
[2] https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/3996876
[3] https://revcycleintelligence.com/news/medical-billing-companies-spill-about-outsourcing-operations#:~:text=About%2043%20percent%E2%80%94up%20from,repetitive%20tasks%2C%20and%20boost%20revenue
[4] https://medcitynews.com/2022/10/what-will-the-next-generation-of-medical-coding-look-like/
[5] https://journal.ahima.org/page/building-the-autonomous-coding-ecosystem-what-him-leaders-need-to-know
