Podcast Summary: Unlocking CDI's Future: From SOAP Notes to Smartsystems

Becker’s Healthcare Podcast | November 3, 2025
Host: Erica Spicer Mason
Guests:

• Dr. Jerilyn Morrissey, Chief Medical Officer, Koro Health
• Kaltrina Barisha, VP of Product Management, Koro Health

Episode Overview

This episode explores the evolution of clinical documentation integrity (CDI) from its earliest days—ancient Egypt’s papyrus records—to today’s fast-moving AI “smartsystems.” Dr. Jerilyn Morrissey and Kaltrina Barisha of Koro Health join host Erica Spicer Mason to discuss how today's technological innovations can address the unsustainable administrative burdens facing clinicians, re-infuse meaning into documentation, and prepare organizations for a rapidly shifting landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Guest Backgrounds & Choro Health’s Mission

[00:59–02:24]

• Dr. Morrissey: Diverse experience beginning in primary care, then transitioning to revenue cycle roles across both the payer and provider sides, with a recent emphasis on Medicare Advantage regulations.
• Kaltrina Barisha: 15+ years partnering with clinicians to create tech solutions that streamline healthcare workflows, strengthen CDI, and ensure compliance.

2. The Historical Evolution of Medical Documentation

[03:11–07:31]

• Dr. Morrissey draws a throughline from ancient Egyptian papyrus records (ca. 2000 BC) to modern EHRs.
  • Notable Quote:

    "What really stands out to me is that as we trace the history of physician documentation...observation and exam findings and diagnoses and treatment plans, we can trace those exact elements all the way through history up until 2025." — Dr. Morrissey, [04:02]

  • While core documentation elements remain, layers of regulatory and billing requirements have made the process burdensome.
  • The transition from paper to electronic documentation has created a "battlefield" where multiple stakeholders' priorities—clinical, financial, regulatory—collide.
  • Efforts to address complexity (adding reviews, queries, layers) have led to clinician disengagement and administrative overload.
  • Notable Commentary:

    "...the solutions have frequently been to add more, add more layers, add more reviews, add more queries. Now we've gotten to this unsustainable point in history where the administrative overload on documentation has resulted in clinician disengagement." — Dr. Morrissey, [06:27]

3. The Promise of AI & Smartsystems in Documentation

[08:30–10:07]

• Kaltrina Barisha discusses how generative and agentic AI are finally bridging the gap between documentation as a compliance tool and as a clinical decision-support resource.
  • Advanced AI now interprets clinical intent, surfaces insights, and guides in real time, all while decreasing clinician workload.
  • The CDI process gains accuracy and value ("making documentation meaningful again" [10:07]), leading to faster chart reviews, fewer denials, and a more robust revenue cycle.
  • Notable Quote:

    "Now with generative AI...we're creating systems that actually understand clinical context. So they don't just capture what's said, they're interpreting intent, they're surfacing insights, and even guiding clarifications in real time." — Kaltrina Barisha, [08:52]

  • The goal: clinicians focus on care; tech handles the backend.

4. Actionable Steps for Future-Ready CDI

[10:38–13:01]

• Dr. Morrissey’s Two Key Recommendations:

  1. Deepen Understanding of Terminology & Tools:
     Grasp what automation, analytics, NLP, generative AI, and agentic AI actually are (not just buzzwords).
     • Notable Quote:

       "...if you get the wrong product, that doesn't solve your problem because the term was used in a...loosey goosey manner, you're going to end up disappointed." — Dr. Morrissey, [11:51]

  2. Be Bold—Constructively Destructive:
     Challenge legacy workflows designed for manual processes; update or discard them for a tech-centric world.
     Fail forward: rapid adaptation enables success.

• Erica Spicer Mason (Host) summarizes:

  • Step 1: Learn what these new technologies really mean and do.
  • Step 2: "Be bold, constructively destructive."
  • Don't be afraid to fail; be agile.

5. Collaboration & Looking Ahead

[13:30–14:25]

• Kaltrina Barisha urges pairing smart tools with ongoing feedback, training, and collaboration among clinicians, CDI, and operational leaders.
  • Effective technology adoption boosts trust, improves outcomes, and centers the "patient story."
  • Notable Quote:

    "When we as clinicians and AI collaborate in the workflow, we're not just improving efficiency, we're improving outcomes and we're really improving trust as well." — Kaltrina Barisha, [14:08]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “In the practice of medicine, we knew from the beginning what needed to be documented and communicated, not only to care for our patients, but also to advance the field of medicine.” — Dr. Morrissey, [04:48]
• “We created this battlefield where financial, clinical and payer priorities all collide and they all want something from the documentation.” — Dr. Morrissey, [06:00]
• "It makes documentation meaningful again. It becomes a live in, intelligent part of care, not just a compliance checkbox." — Kaltrina Barisha, [09:53]
• “Constructively destructive. So we need to look at workflows and procedures...that were designed to support manual processes. You can't just take those workflows and procedures and processes and put them into a technological world and expect the improvement that you need.” — Dr. Morrissey, [12:18]
• “Improving trust and the overall patient story...is the most important aspect of all of this.” — Kaltrina Barisha, [14:20]

Timestamps of Key Segments

• 00:59–02:24 | Guest Introductions and Choro Health’s Mission
• 03:11–07:31 | Historical Overview of Medical Documentation and Lessons Learned
• 08:30–10:07 | How Modern AI Technologies Are Changing the Purpose of Documentation
• 10:38–13:01 | Actionable Steps for Leaders to Prepare for CDI’s Future
• 13:30–14:25 | The Importance of Collaboration and Keeping the Patient at the Center

Conclusion

This episode offers a compelling journey through the history and future of clinical documentation—from ancient papyrus to smart AI-driven systems. Dr. Morrissey and Kaltrina Barisha challenge healthcare leaders to:

• Rigorously discern the capabilities and limits of new AI-driven solutions,
• Boldly redesign workflows for a digital-first era,
• And maintain relentless focus on the patient narrative.

Summary in One Line:
As the boundaries of technology in healthcare documentation expand, the key to integrity and value is to harness “smart” tools that free clinicians to care for patients and elevate the patient story—rather than simply check compliance boxes.