Applying Deep Learning Model to Predict Diagnosis Code of Medical Records

Diagnostics (Basel). 2023 Jul 6;13(13):2297. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics13132297.

Abstract

The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) code is a diagnostic classification standard that is frequently used as a referencing system in healthcare and insurance. However, it takes time and effort to find and use the right diagnosis code based on a patient's medical records. In response, deep learning (DL) methods have been developed to assist physicians in the ICD coding process. Our findings propose a deep learning model that utilized clinical notes from medical records to predict ICD-10 codes. Our research used text-based medical data from the outpatient department (OPD) of a university hospital from January to December 2016. The dataset used clinical notes from five departments, and a total of 21,953 medical records were collected. Clinical notes consisted of a subjective component, objective component, assessment, plan (SOAP) notes, diagnosis code, and a drug list. The dataset was divided into two groups: 90% for training and 10% for test cases. We applied natural language processing (NLP) technique (word embedding, Word2Vector) to process the data. A deep learning-based convolutional neural network (CNN) model was created based on the information presented above. Three metrics (precision, recall, and F-score) were used to calculate the achievement of the deep learning CNN model. Clinically acceptable results were achieved through the deep learning model for five departments (precision: 0.53-0.96; recall: 0.85-0.99; and F-score: 0.65-0.98). With a precision of 0.95, a recall of 0.99, and an F-score of 0.98, the deep learning model performed the best in the department of cardiology. Our proposed CNN model significantly improved the prediction performance for an automated ICD-10 code prediction system based on prior clinical information. This CNN model could reduce the laborious task of manual coding and could assist physicians in making a better diagnosis.

Keywords: clinical note; convolutional neural network; deep learning; diagnosis code; natural language processing.

Grants and funding

This study was supported by grants from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan (Grant number. 106-2634-F-038-002, 108-2314-B-038-053-MY3), to J.H.B.M., C.-C.K. and M.-C.L., and this work was supported by Taipei Medical University for M.-C.L. This research is partly sponsored by the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) under grant NSTC 111-2622-8-038-006-IE and 110-2320-B-038-029-MY3, and the Ministry of Education in Taiwan.