Hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence tools as they submit insurance claims led to an additional $942 million in healthcare spending over a two-year period, according to an analysis by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.
The BCBSA analysis found “a sharp increase in patients being documented as having complex conditions,” but argued there is a “clear disconnect between [medical] coding and treatment,” as there’s “no evidence of corresponding change in care delivered.”
The New York Times pointed the analysis as just the latest sign that AI is contributing to an increase in healthcare costs. While battles between hospitals and insurers over treatments and payments are nothing new, the NYT said the use of AI on both sides seems to be making it worse.
A use of AI we might all support, is dealing with insurance companies. Just have your chatbot talk to their chatbot to get them to do what they were supposed to do all along. This report does claim AI used to find more problems with patients, but harrassing insurance companies is going to lower their margins/prices and increase their approval rates. That could be already be part of blue shield’s higher costs, even if they don’t acknowledge it.