Batman and Robin in Healthcare Knowledge Work: Human-AI Collaboration by Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialists

This article describes the successful collaboration “in the wild” between Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialists (CDIS) and an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-embedded software to conduct knowledge work. CDIS review patient charts in near real-time to improve clinicians’ documentation, with the goal to make medical documentation more accurate, consistent and complete. CDIS collaborate with an AI-embedded “Computer Assisted Coding” (CAC) system that scans records from the Electronic Healthcare Record and auto-suggests codes based on natural language processing. CDIS find the CAC's suggestions are often inaccurate—often humorously so. Still, they find the CAC to be a useful helper, like Robin is to Batman. This human-AI collaboration is contingent on several factors: the flexible integration of the AI into the workflow similar to the notion of unremarkable AI; supporting the CDIS’ sensemaking; the CDIS’ knowledge about the CAC being predictably unreliable, an experience by the CDIS of the AI's value; humans remaining in control; and ability to experiment with the AI, which spurs reflection and learning for these knowledge workers.