Friend or Foe? The Interaction Between Human and Artificial Intelligence on Performance in Medical Chart Coding

54 Pages Posted: 24 Jun 2019 Last revised: 30 Mar 2023

See all articles by Weiguang Wang

Weiguang Wang

Johns Hopkins University

Guodong (Gordon) Gao

Johns Hopkins University - Carey Business School

Ritu Agarwal

University of Maryland - Robert H. Smith School of Business

Date Written: June 18, 2019

Abstract

As AI applications become more pervasive, it is critical to understand how knowledge workers with different levels and types of experience can team with AI for productivity gains. We focus on the influence of two major types of human work experience, narrow experience based on the specific task volume and broad experience based on seniority, on the human-AI team dynamics. We developed an AI solution for medical chart coding in a publicly traded company and conducted a field study among the knowledge workers. Based on a detailed analysis performed at the medical chart level, we find evidence that AI benefits workers with greater task-based experience, but senior workers gain less from AI than their junior colleagues. Further investigation reveals that the relatively lower productivity lift from AI is not a result of seniority per se, but lower trust in AI, likely triggered by the senior workers’ broader job responsibilities. This study provides new empirical insights into the differential roles of worker experience in the collaborative dynamics between AI and knowledge workers, which have important societal and business implications.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, productivity, worker skills, healthcare, medical coding

Suggested Citation

Wang, Weiguang and Gao, Guodong (Gordon) and Agarwal, Ritu, Friend or Foe? The Interaction Between Human and Artificial Intelligence on Performance in Medical Chart Coding (June 18, 2019). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3405759 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3405759

Weiguang Wang (Contact Author)

Johns Hopkins University ( email )

Baltimore, MD 20036-1984
United States

Guodong (Gordon) Gao

Johns Hopkins University - Carey Business School ( email )

100 International Drive
Baltimore, MD 21202
United States

Ritu Agarwal

University of Maryland - Robert H. Smith School of Business ( email )

College Park, MD 20742-1815
United States

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