Will health information technologists be replaced by AI?
Updated
Health information technologists score 60 of 100 for AI exposure. The largest share of their task time, 56%, is work AI speeds up while they stay in charge. AI can take over 31% outright, and 13% stays with people.
- 31% AI can do it
- 56% AI helps
- 13% Needs a person
High exposure
Higher than 91% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 16 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 5 of them today, speeds up 9 and leaves 2 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Assign the patient to diagnosis-related groups (DRGs), using appropriate computer software. Grouper software already assigns DRGs; AI handles remaining edge cases. | 70% AI can do it |
| Identify, compile, abstract, and code patient data, using standard classification systems. AI reads notes and suggests standard codes; coders verify. | 70% AI can do it |
| Prepare statistical reports, narrative reports, or graphic presentations of information, such as tumor registry data for use by hospital staff, researchers, or other users. AI generates statistical summaries, narratives and charts from data. | 70% AI can do it |
| Compile medical care and census data for statistical reports on diseases treated, surgery performed, or use of hospital beds. Data pulls and census tallies are routine queries and summaries. | 65% AI can do it |
| Write or maintain archived procedures, procedural codes, or queries for applications. AI writes and maintains SQL queries and procedure code; humans review. | 65% AI can do it |
| Develop in-service educational materials. AI drafts education content quickly; staff tailor and approve it. | 60% AI helps |
| Monitor changes in legislation and accreditation standards that affect information security or privacy in the computerized healthcare system. AI tracks and summarizes regulatory changes; analyst judges impact. | 50% AI helps |
| Design databases to support healthcare applications, ensuring security, performance and reliability. AI drafts designs, but security and performance need expert judgement. | 45% AI helps |
| Plan, develop, maintain, or operate a variety of health record indexes or storage and retrieval systems to collect, classify, store, or analyze information. AI can help index and retrieve records; systems need human design. | 45% AI helps |
| Retrieve patient medical records for physicians, technicians, or other medical personnel. EHR search is digital, but verifying and releasing records stays human. | 45% AI helps |
Show the other 6 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Evaluate and recommend upgrades or improvements to existing computerized healthcare systems. AI can analyze system logs and suggest options; decisions stay human. | 35% AI helps |
| Train medical records staff. AI builds training materials; live instruction stays with trainers. | 35% AI helps |
| Protect the security of medical records to ensure that confidentiality is maintained. Access controls are mostly technical; policy enforcement stays human. | 30% AI helps |
| Resolve or clarify codes or diagnoses with conflicting, missing, or unclear information by consulting with doctors or others or by participating in the coding team's regular meetings. AI can draft physician queries; resolving needs human consultation. | 30% AI helps |
| Facilitate and promote activities, such as lunches, seminars, or tours, to foster healthcare information privacy or security awareness within the organization. Hosting lunches, tours and seminars needs in-person presence. | 15% Needs a person |
| Manage the department or supervise clerical workers, directing or controlling activities of personnel in the medical records department. Supervising staff is interpersonal management requiring human accountability. | 15% Needs a person |
How health information technologists compare
All occupations (923)
Healthcare practitioners and technical (89)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $68,020 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 38,100 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +15.9% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Assign DRGs and validate grouper output in 3M or Epic
- Code patient records in ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS
- Query Epic Systems and MEDITECH data with SQL in Microsoft Access
- Build tumor registry reports for hospital staff and researchers
- Hold a credential such as RHIA or RHIT from AHIMA
- Resolve coding conflicts through physician queries and coding team meetings
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about health information technologists and AI
Will AI replace health information technologists?
Partly. About 5 in 10 working hours of a health information technologist go to tasks AI can already do, mostly DRG assignment, medical coding and statistical reporting. Resolving unclear diagnoses with physicians, supervising staff and protecting record confidentiality stay with people because they need judgment, accountability and in-person work.
Which tasks of health information technologists is AI taking over?
DRG assignment, medical coding and statistical reporting are the most exposed, each scoring 70 out of 100. Grouper software already assigns DRGs, and AI reads clinical notes to suggest standard codes, leaving coders to verify the output. Routine census tallies and data pulls are also handled by AI queries.
Which tasks of health information technologists stay with people?
Managing medical records staff, facilitating privacy awareness events and supervising clerical workers score lowest, at 15 out of 100. These tasks need in-person presence and human accountability. Resolving conflicting diagnoses through physician consultation scores 30, so people still lead that work.
How can health information technologists stay valuable?
Move toward the work that still needs a person. Check AI-suggested codes in ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS, lead physician queries on unclear diagnoses, and tune Epic Systems or MEDITECH reports for hospital decisions. Write SQL queries in Microsoft Access and hold an RHIA or RHIT credential from AHIMA to show you can verify the output.
Related jobs
Next steps for health information technologists
Check which roles in your team AI can take on
We map your team's tasks, show what AI can do today and build the automations that pay back first.
Related topics
- Jobs AI can't replaceCement masons score lowest, at 8.
- Jobs most at risk from AIProofreaders score highest, at 76.
- High-paying jobs with low AI exposureRadiologists earn a median $420,860 and score 46.
- Entry-level jobs with low AI exposureCement masons need little prior training and score 8.
- Jobs AI speeds up the mostFor natural sciences managers, AI speeds up 96% of task time.
- AI and jobs in Malta15 iGaming roles graded task by task.
- Skills that keep work humanThe skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.
- Jobs A to ZEvery job we publish, by first letter.
- AI exposure by industryAverage scores for 22 occupation groups.
- Write a CV screening software can readHow applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.
- AI for businessesThe tasks to automate first in each team and industry.
- How we score AI exposureThe grading, the weights and every source.