Explore How AI Can Take Items Off Your To-Do List
Jump start your projects with AI analyzing the data. Have you ever wondered how much time you’d save during the day if you had an assistant? With artificial intelligence (AI), you can find out the answer. Several technologies are currently on the market to help automate your daily tasks, so you can spend your work hours on the more pressing tasks. Read on to learn how you can use AI to automate different duties at your job. What Automation Technologies Are Available? Before diving into where AI can assist you in your daily duties, it’s important to know what types of automation technologies are available for use. Examples of AI tools that most people are using include: Copilot and Gemini are built into the respective operating systems and products. These two technologies function as digital assistants to offer a helping hand for several tasks, from crafting emails and scheduling meetings to searching the internet for information you’d need for a presentation. ChatGPT is an example of generative AI where you enter a detailed prompt, and the technology delivers the information you’re seeking. Grammarly uses AI to enhance the user’s writing by providing feedback based on the audience and writing style. However, before you log into one of these services and start experimenting with the different features, you should ask your organization if the technology is safe for use. “The thing to remember when using these AI technologies is to use what is approved by your healthcare system,” explained Christopher Chandler, MBA, MHA, CPC, CGSC, manager of coding and billing at Intermountain Health during his session, “Should I Start Automating My Job?” session at AAPC’s HEALTHCON 2025. Chandler added, “We use Microsoft, Copilot is their AI program, and it’s been approved. Intermountain Health has worked with Microsoft to make sure [patient data is] protected and no patient data is going to be leaked. We can use it on our protected, logged-in devices.” Important: Do not enter any protected health information (PHI) into an AI tool that hasn’t been vetted and protected by your healthcare organization. “If you’re talking about PHI-specific information — if you’re mentioning patient names or patient procedures — that information is going to an external company. You want to make sure that the tool is approved before you start using it,” Chandler stated. Streamline Your Repetitive and Tedious Tasks AI isn’t here to take your job; the goal is for the technology to make your job easier. Small tasks like scheduling meetings, taking notes for a meeting, or brainstorming emails may be simple chores that account for mere minutes out of your day, but those minutes add up over a week or a month. “What are the repetitive tasks that I do every week or every month or every day that I wish I could just give away?” Chandler asked to the attendees. With AI built into your operating system or production suite, you can have it automatically schedule a meeting based on the context clues in an email you receive. It can craft an email to send to a patient about their upcoming appointment. You can log a notetaking system into your team’s video call to generate notes about the weekly meeting, and then email those notes to the attendees so everyone is on the same page about the topics discussed. Analyze Research for Large Projects Medical billers and coders perform regular audits of their claims to ensure the reimbursement is accurate, policies are being complied with, and more. However, when you’re trying to perform an audit and stay on top of your everyday work, it might feel overwhelming trying to cross off items on your to-do list. AI can quickly and efficiently analyze the data, while you tend to the higher priority claims arriving in the workflow. “If you’re just overwhelmed with the amount of data you’re looking at, such as all the denials you have, you can get your AI tool to analyze the data to find patterns and trends. If you’re looking at 30,000 lines, you might miss vital information, and the AI can catch it for you,” Chandler said. Large language models (LLMs) and generative AI, such as ChatGPT, are built with immense amounts of data and can serve as a search engine. When you enter a pointed and detailed prompt, the technology delivers a thorough and well-written answer. These responses from the AI can be helpful when researching a project. Caution: The information ChatGPT or another AI model provides should only be used as a starting point for the research. You should still do your due diligence to ensure the information provided is correct, accurate, and fits your project. AI models have been known to “hallucinate” or provide incorrect information, but the way the information is presented appears authoritative. “I always tell people don’t implicitly or explicitly trust what AI gives you. You have to double-check it. You must make sure that what it’s doing is accurate,” Chandler said. Remember: AI is Here to Help AI and automation are technological tools that are designed to assist you in your employment. Not every tool is designed the same, and as a result, you’ll need to use it for it to understand what you’re seeking. This is not unlike training a new employee — some feedback by you will yield greater results over time. Some people are still hesitant to welcome AI into the workplace for fear of losing their position to technology. “AI is not going to take your job, but someone who knows how to use AI will,” Chandler explained. Your employer isn’t interested in replacing you with the technology, “what they’re interested in doing is helping you be better at your job by using AI tools,” he added. Stay tuned to Revenue Cycle Insider for more information as AI continues to evolve in healthcare. Mike Shaughnessy, BA, CPC, Development Editor, AAPC
