Why AI Won't Make Medical Coding Careers Obsolete

by  Find-A-Code™
Apr 17th, 2023

No doubt artificial intelligence (AI) has come a long way since it was first introduced. The technology is capable of doing a lot of amazing things. It is advanced enough that some people are speculating it will eventually make medical coding careers obsolete. We do not agree. As helpful as AI can be, it is not likely to ever be capable of doing the same job as human medical coders.

The basic premise of AI completely taking over medical coding is automation. The thinking is that automating medical code lookup and verification eliminates the need for human specialists. In theory, it sounds good. But dig deep enough to understand what AI really is and it becomes more difficult to justify the technology ever taking over for humans.

Crunching Data on a Massive Scale

So, what exactly is AI? First and foremost, it is a digital technology that operates in the computer realm. Computers are man-made objects capable of doing all sorts of things based on their programming. The better the programming, the greater the capabilities.

AI is a type of programming that relies on crunching data for the purposes of determining future actions. In fact, AI crunches data on a massive scale. The more data a system has available to it, the more capable it is of reaching certain conclusions and then acting upon them. So far, so good. However, AI has an inherent weakness that is found in its name.

AI Is a Misnomer

AI's inherent weakness is the fact that it doesn't actually possess intelligence in any form. The phrase itself is a misnomer. An intelligent creature is sentient, which is to say self-aware. An intelligent creature is also aware of what it doesn't know. Finally, an intelligent creature knows how to go out and find the knowledge it needs to learn.

Computers do not, and never will, meet these three qualifications. Why? Because they can only act up to the limits of their programming. They cannot make independent decisions. Without the ability to work independent of programming, computer systems cannot truly be intelligent. Now, let us tie this into the realities of medical coding.

Not an Exact Science

The biggest problem medical coding poses to AI technology is the fact that it is not an exact science. Medical coders need to work with tens of thousands of codes. Those codes are divided into more than half a dozen code sets. If each code were so distinct and detailed as to leave no room for individual interpretation, AI-driven coding systems would theoretically be possible. But medical codes are not that distinct and detailed.

A medical coder could choose from two or three different codes for the same procedure depending on its details. In addition, it is not unusual for codes in the same category to overlap somewhat. They are also different codes for the same procedure depending on whether it is considered initial or follow-up.

Codes Are Constantly Updated

Adding further fuel to the fire, medical codes are constantly being updated. Certain types of codes are updated annually. Others are updated semi-annually. Even organizations that offer online code lookup, like ours, need to work incredibly hard to keep systems updated. There is just too much to do to ensure that AI systems have error-free data to work with.

And of course, don't forget ICD-11 codes. These are just around the corner. This massive update to the ICD system adds another layer of complexity that AI simply cannot overcome. No, AI is not going to make medical coding careers obsolete. It will make them different, but still necessary, nonetheless.