Healthcare Billing AI Sparks Concerns Over Costs and Access
-
Hospitals, insurers, and the government are rushing to develop AI tools to maximize revenue and reduce costs in the $4 trillion US healthcare system.
-
Providers want AI to help them code bills faster and more aggressively to increase revenue. Insurers want to use AI to detect fraud and errors in provider bills.
-
AI could exacerbate billing disputes between providers and insurers, hurting patients caught in the middle. Recent laws to protect patients from surprise bills have faced challenges.
-
Congress is just beginning to evaluate AI's impact on healthcare costs, access, and fraud. Biden has set some initial reporting deadlines.
-
With major cost and workforce implications across healthcare, the AI billing arms race could "add gasoline" to existing tensions over money flows.