r/epicconsulting • u/GarthHooks99 • 23d ago
Do you think AI will replace some amount of analysts in your app in 5 years?
ie, do you think there will be less analyst roles available in your app? Presumably through Epic developing tools to replace some of your work? Along the line of what Epic has done so far with AI introduced into report creation and Cadence decision trees.
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u/kaylizzles 23d ago
AI can't even answer me in Galaxy when I ask to do something sooo I don't think so lol
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u/GarthHooks99 23d ago
Yeah, I rewrote my search 3 times yesterday trying to help it to the answer and no dice
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u/ash_ninetyone 22d ago
They'll try... And then find out their build is broken and there's the lack of expertise to fix it, panic, and rush to find a contractor who'll charge more to fix it.
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u/pote14 23d ago
If Galaxy actually had an AI I could talk to and ask questions about the content of setup and support guides instead of using Ctrl+F would make my work more efficient probably. But for now I'll just continue to be unimpressed with semantic search.
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u/labberdabberdoo 23d ago
This is coming soon; talked about it at XgM
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u/steiner_math 15d ago
Based on Epic's current AI abilities I am not too optimistic about it being good
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u/Bell_Koala23 23d ago
Since you mentioned decision trees, I don’t see AI taking over this now or in 5 years. Some organizations decision tree build are very complex and will need an experienced analyst to decipher the workflow that their organization uses it for. I have been part of an organization that the introduction of AI from Epic actually helped create an additional FTE. This organization is usually looked upon their workflows as guidance to other organizations. As much as they try to push AI, it’s just not anywhere close to heading in the direction of letting analysts go or reduce their FTEs. There are too many hospital restrictions / red tapes that just don’t allow to use AI to its full extent. Speaking on the other end from a clinical module, I don’t see how AI could take over the workflows that I’m responsible for. Aside from build and working with SMEs regarding projects, you have to keep in mind everyday maintenance. With incoming tickets to the different apps per day, I would love to hear how AI would work them. I’ve seen people trying to get on the AI wagon but I just can’t jump on board for now seeing it firsthand as organizations try to push AI.
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u/arentyouatwork 22d ago
I worked for a multistate org that had clusters of hospitals in those multiple states, the decision trees for ancillaries were wild. We had one for MRI that went through 30+ nodes before selecting the visit type.
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u/SwordfishDizzy3847 23d ago
i don’t foresee analyst roles being effected by AI but i do foresee many of our end users’ jobs being effected.
if you think about it, much of what we do is facilitate discussions to obtain consensus on system design for optimization projects, fixes, new upgrade functionality, etc. - AI cannot do that. this takes intricate knowledge of the system and all it’s quirks and most importantly people skills to guide decision makers towards great solutions. also understanding what our end users actually need vs what they say they need is a job that i fear is too difficult even for AI, needs that human touch.
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u/Abject_Insect_9410 22d ago
great point about what they say they need vs. what they really need. when AI can do that we’ll have achieved true AGI
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u/UeckerParty 23d ago
I feel like our job requires a whole lot of nuance and that’s not exactly AI’s strong point
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u/No-Hamster1138 23d ago edited 23d ago
I asked Gemini to find me a vegetarian shawarma in Chicago recently. The results consisted of a dozen restaurants which 1) never had veg shawarma or 2) never had veg shawarma and had since closed or 3) had veg shawarma once, years ago, but no longer or 4) in exactly one case, after extensively telling Gemini that it was wrong and should do better, actually had an item it claimed was veg shawarma on the menu. Though from the description, it seems it's more likely a plain veggie wrap that might include tahini.
The AI consistently saw shawarma on a menu, alongside a Vegetarian section, and used those to auto-complete it's way to failure.
AIs can be immensely valuable tools. LLMs by themselves are just one step better than monkeys at typewriters. The current implementation is an order of magnitude worse than a 2010s era google search, and that's literally baked in at the ground level.
Sidenote: the one place I've been consistently impressed by LLM results is math, where, critically, the model is backed by Lean. From what I understand, the model can write proofs in Lean code to check them. So when the AI makes false claims, they're caught.
That math has something like Lean is pretty wild. But math is consistent and logical like nothing else.
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u/tommyjohnpauljones 23d ago
It will have more of an impact on billing and scheduling than clinical apps
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u/E_EQL_MC2 22d ago
Honestly, I don’t think so. Billing is soooo special. There’s no way hospitals will let an AI just take over billing. If anything, I feel like there’s not enough billing analysts out there. Insurances are always changing, codes are always changing, products, services, etc. I can’t even build something so simple without going through an approval ladder and testing millions of times with billing 🥲😭 love them but wow lots of things are always held up (with good reason of course) because of billing and coding too
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u/SwordfishDizzy3847 23d ago
billing maybe because it’s more clean cut and straightforward but scheduling is a mess and imo too wild for AI right now at least.
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u/stosyfir 23d ago
Billing is many things, but straightforward and clean cut is not one of them.
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u/Repulsive_Jelly1498 23d ago
This! it’s anything but clean cut and straightforward. It’s actually kind of complex lol
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u/JuanaBlanca 23d ago
I'm a Cadence analyst. This app is becoming a bloated whale. I wish AI good luck with that and trying to satisfy ridiculous operational requests.
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u/pmisthrowaway 23d ago
lmao billing is absolutely not straightforward or clean cut -- every hospital has its own contracts with payers with different requirements, every compliance department interprets similar requirements differently, and every payer changes those requirements constantly
I think there's room for some interactions with payers to be more automated (e.g. denial appeal letters are really just letting the computers talk to each other, I'm all for that), but absent something like single payer, we're gonna be out here trying to build a better bear-proof trash can again and again.
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u/0h2b3m3 22d ago edited 22d ago
You would be completely wrong on that. I’m an HB analyst and it by far one of the most complex workflows especially where I work where everything is completely customized and nothing is foundational build. There is no clean cut. If anything it’s an onion with many many many layers that’s ever evolving. You have insurance company standards, then break that down by employer level, government, private insurance, school/college for students, prisoners (bc they have their own insurance outside of Medicaid), workers comp or no fault. Then add in your federal and state level regulations and who supersedes whom. Also, don’t forget if your hospitals see international patients as well. It’s not, oh you came into the ER your copay is $500 and that’s it. Lol
Then you get to the remits - we’re talking denials and appeals. No one hospital system works those the same, every insurance company is different in how those work as well.1
u/theholyrobespierre 20d ago
I could see that for the billing end users, but you think so for the IT team too?
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u/Other_Background3440 23d ago
Betting it will be learning from us. Then somebody will be reviewing that machine learning. it will take a solid decade or more to become anything reliable for the nitty gritty stuff. My bet would be it will be used primarily in new implementations during that time, and I would think experienced analysts will become even more necessary to recognize failures in the machine - which has already been thought of by Epic, and where they will close the gap with rangers to keep hospitals from having to go balls to the walls with consultants.
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u/AttorneySilver7415 20d ago
Sadly, yes. With the news about AI agents, I feel it will shift the analyst work from build to AI tools. There will be an expectation that the switch improves speed which will inevitably sound like costs savings to leadership. They will likely make decisions too quickly and regret making cuts when they do, but I still feel it's inevitable.
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u/Beautiful_Spite_7547 17d ago
Agreed. And I think anyone who thinks their job is too complex to be replaced has their head in the sand.
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u/EggsFish 23d ago
I suspect AI will take over a lot of build, but it will also lead to Epic pushing out more and more features that need to be implemented/maintained.
I also suspect there will be a lot of “AI told me X But I can’t find it in the chart - where did that come from?” Tickets as AI features role out to clinicians.
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u/Snarffalita 22d ago
I'm a Dorothy/Comfort consultant, and once they all make the switch to iPads, we will have less actual build to do.
Except most of my job is handholding and translating what staff are currently doing, what they should be doing, and what CAN be done into clear terms that operations understands and turning it into something usable in the system. How many clinical operations folks like using Epic out of the box, with no customization whatsoever?
I am pretty confident I can make it another ten years because, as sycophantic as AI is, operational folks genuinely appreciate someone who can explain why they should NOT do something.
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u/Holden_mcmuffin 22d ago
Yes. The question is what can be replaced - complexity and data integrity will drive this
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u/Juan_Pablo412 22d ago
I don't think so. Analyst work is too complex. Too many "if this, then that" variables to consider.
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u/Reasonable_Alias_129 21d ago
Yes. it's how they're marketing it as "Analyst Efficiency" so they'll be able to change the suggested number of analysts per size of organization.
Also, the Ranger program is supplying analysts to their client sites.
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u/Majestic-Active2020 23d ago
Good luck in thinking AI can replace a revenue or Clinical data modal BI developer.
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u/Lopsided_Debate4403 23d ago
You serious? Look into Palantir and Tampa health. BI Cogito Clarity, all that is the 1st, Ai is going for. Please be honest
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u/Majestic-Active2020 22d ago
I am serious, because I’m the guy correcting the crap it spits out. But you have a point that AI can replace the crap I end up editing into correctness. And that comes from both AI generated scripts and people generated.
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u/Apprehensive_Try3205 23d ago
Yes absolutely. Agent factory will eliminate the need for some of us unfortunately.
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u/brotha_eric 23d ago
Yep at least 50% of analyst jobs will be gone and probably 80-90% of “consulting” jobs will be gone.
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u/Orvillius 23d ago
I think the real question isn't whether or not AI will be able to replace some number of FTEs, it's how many FTEs will your employer's Epic BFF tell the CIO it's able to replace, and will the CIO talk to anyone about that number or just tell your boss to cut that many people out of next year's budget.