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Throughout history, clear-cut turning points have triggered surges in demand for technology. The introduction of personal computers, for example, was a watershed IT moment. In recent months, the federal economic stimulus program has been in the spotlight, with experts debating whether it could be a strong catalyst for a surge in adoption of electronic health records. But a much lower-profile health care industry development - the shift from ICD-9 to ICD-10 diagnosis and procedure codes for claims - also could prove to be a powerful technology catalyst, giving a boost to demand for computer-assisted coding systems.

Despite years of development, the use of automated coding systems is still far from commonplace. The technology is much more prevalent among physician group practices than hospitals, primarily because outpatient claims are so much simpler to code.

The looming shift to more complex ICD-10 codes in 2013 could stir up interest in the applications because all providers will use the new codes when filing claims with all payers. The greater level of precision in the codes likely will improve the performance of computer-assisted coding applications and make them easier to use, says Sue Bowman, director of coding policy and compliance at the American Health Information Management Association, Chicago. "We're going to see much better and more sophisticated inpatient computer-assisted coding once ICD-10 is implemented," she predicts.

For now, group practices and hospitals are using a wide variety of approaches to auto-coding. These range from coding functions embedded in electronic health records to freestanding systems that simply automate code checklists formerly found on paper "super-bills."

As these systems become more sophisticated, they could have a huge impact on the role of coders. Many now spend the bulk of their time manually selecting codes after reviewing paper or electronic records. "Our coders are going to be more like auditors, checking every claim before it goes out to a carrier," predicts Deborah Grider, vice president of strategic development at the American Academy of Professional Coders, Salt Lake City, Utah.

"Computer-assisted coding ultimately will remove the mundane, routine coding tasks," AHIMA's Bowen says. "Coders will become editors, reviewers and auditors who make sure the codes are accurate and the documentation is complete."

The shift to ICD-10 will mean big changes for physicians as well, Grider argues. Hospitals and clinics will have to offer extensive training to make sure doctors include all necessary information in patient records-whether paper or electronic-to support specific codes, she notes. Payers also will require more detailed documentation to support pay-for-performance projects that measure the quality of care, she adds.

But Bowman cautions that providers must be careful when shopping for "computer-assisted coding" software because vendors use the term loosely to describe a broad variety of applications. "Computer-assisted coding in its truest form is linked to an electronic health record system, and it guides you to the correct code by linking to documentation in the record," she contends. But relatively few organizations use such systems, which rely on a technology called natural-language processing. The technology translates readable information stored in EHR databases into related codes.