The coding tool is part of Epic's broader strategy to decrease the burden on clinicians through generative AI applications. Other applications include a tool to help doctors draft responses to patient portal messages and automated medical scribes that record patient exams and help draft doctor notes. Epic has partnered with Microsoft and startup Abridge for the development of these tools. However, the company is also building in-house tools and is open to using other large language models in the future.
Key takeaways:
- Epic Systems, led by billionaire founder and CEO Judy Faulkner, is developing a suite of 60 tools, including an AI-powered medical coding tool, aimed at easing the burden on clinicians and speeding up the medical billing process.
- The AI-powered medical coding tool, based on GPT-4, ingests and summarizes clinician notes and suggests the most likely diagnosis and procedure codes. However, it still requires human oversight and won't fully replace human coders.
- Epic Systems is also developing patient-facing applications, such as a tool to help explain patients' bills, which they plan to roll out by November.
- Despite competition from healthcare startups, Epic Systems' software is already used by more than 2,700 U.S. hospitals, giving it a distinct advantage in the market.