In a keynote speech at AHIMA’s 1984 conference, Robert L. Blum, MD, PhD, predicted that artificial intelligence (AI) would make it possible for health information management professionals to “explore the medical information systems aboard the Starship Enterprise in the year 2009.” He continued, “Our 25-year mission is to boldly go where no man (or woman) has gone before.”

While we have yet to see health information management (HIM) professionals hop on a space shuttle in the 36 years since Blum’s prediction, we have seen AI revolutionize how HIM professionals do their jobs. Computer-assisted coding has dramatically improved coding productivity, AI-driven natural language processing has supercharged clinical documentation integrity efforts, and machine learning algorithms have boosted patient matching efforts.

As former AHIMA President Ann Chenoweth, MBA, RHIA, FAHIMA, predicted on the eve of AHIMA’s 2017 conference, “The future success of the HIM profession will depend on how responsive the profession can be with regard to the dramatic changes occurring in healthcare—including AI.” 

AHIMA20’s AI and Emerging Technologies track is designed to help HIM professionals understand where they fit in implementing the tools that will continue to transform the industry and their careers.

In the face of unprecedented challenges, AHIMA20 aims to equip health information professionals with the necessary resources to adapt to new realities, modernize standards and regulations, and empower them to provide evidence-based expertise to professionals in every domain of the healthcare ecosystem.

AI and Emerging Technologies at AHIMA20

For more AI and emerging technology offerings, click here and check the AI & Emerging Technologies filter on the left-hand side of the page to aggregate our educational offerings on this topic.

• Predicting Lung Cancer Amongst High Risk Patients: Individuals who attend this session will come away with a better understanding of how to identify features associated with new incident lung cancer.
• How A.I. and Machine Learning Drive a Touchless Revenue Cycle: Presenters will review how the algorithms discussed can be used to tackle real-world privacy and cybersecurity challenges for hospitals and health systems.
• Artificial Intelligence Lessons Learned in HIM: This session will help attendees identify opportunities to improve artificial intelligence functionality in existing systems and improve planning for functionality in future systems.