• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

  • COVID-19
  • Opinion
  • Health IT
    • Behavioral Health
    • Care Coordination
    • EMR/EHR
    • Interoperability
    • Patient Engagement
    • Population Health Management
    • Revenue Cycle Management
    • Social Determinants of Health
  • Digital Health
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Blockchain
    • Mobile Health
    • Precision Medicine
    • Telehealth
    • Wearables
  • Startups
  • M&A
  • Value-based Care
    • Accountable Care (ACOs)
    • Medicare Advantage
  • Life Sciences
  • Research

Importance of Healthcare Providers Improving Their CDI Program

by Fred Pennic 04/05/2012 Leave a Comment

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Print

medical20recordsGuest post from Alice Zentner,  Director of Auditing and Education for TrustHCS:

Many providers have CDI programs. The belief is that more accurate, detailed clinical documentation is better for the patient, the institution, the government, researchers, and all aspects of quality of care. So why not have an improvement program for the improvement program?

Too many CDI programs focus on the short-term goals of reduced denials and fewer queries only for those DRGs and types of cases payers are reviewing today. But a truly visionary CDI program takes a much longer-term view of both the areas for documentation improvement and the ability  for programs to achieve a return on investment.

Certainly, CDI programs should focus on current areas of weakness that are impacting cash flow, but with a focus on the longer-term goals; like successfully implementing ICD-10 and building the framework for strong documentation practices that will support future  upgrades to coding systems.Quality initiatives and pay for performance seem to be gaining traction as healthcare initiatives, which would also benefit from better, more accurate documentation. Looking forward to incorporate these programs into today’s CDI initiatives gives providers time for a methodical, transition to any new reimbursement model – not to mention solid quality data and business intelligence to make better, long-term decisions.

Trying to jam change into the last minute is a formula for mediocrity. You get done the absolute minimum needed to meet a program’s needs but you never reap the upside benefits that these programs present.

Your CDI initiative is a living process that should be proactive to future needs, not reactive. Preventative medicine is always preferred to illness intervention. Make sure your CDI program has an oversight group charged with improving the improvement program. While ICD-10 and the many other initiatives in healthcare seem to be overwhelming, a successful CDI program can greatly smooth the road to change.

About Alice Zentner, RHIA

Alice is the Director of Auditing and Education for TrustHCS. She brings over 21 years of health information experience primarily focusing on coding audits, education and billing follow-through.  Throughout her extensive career, Alice has also served in clinical documentation improvement (CDI) roles as a concurrent review coding specialist and CDI consultant with national healthcare consulting organizations.  Prior to consulting, Alice served as interim coding manager, director of education and outpatient coding services and as a nurse auditor/revenue integrity officer for a large HCA teaching facility.

In her current role as a Director of Auditing and Education, Alice will assist TrustHCS’s team of auditors as well as conduct ICD-10-CM/PCS preparedness assessments, planning and audits for clients.  Alice is also leading TrustHCS’s education initiatives for all clinical specialties while building collaboration between CDI specialists and clinical coders.

 

 

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Print

Tagged With: ahima, CDI Program, clinical documentation improvement intiative, DRGs, ICD-10, icd-9, Payers, Trust HCS

Get in-depth healthcare technology analysis and commentary delivered straight to your email weekly

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to HIT Consultant

Latest insightful articles delivered straight to your inbox weekly.

Submit a Tip or Pitch

Knowledge Hub

 How Top Health Plans Use AI to Save Money and Work Smarter How Top Health Plans Use AI to Save Money and Work Smarter

 How to Build Hybrid Care Models Around Remote Patient Monitoring How to Build Hybrid Care Models Around Remote Patient Monitoring

Trending

Clover Health Exits CMS ACO REACH Program to Focus on Medicare Advantage

Clover Health Exits CMS ACO REACH Program to Focus on Medicare Advantage

Cigna to Acquire Express Scripts for $67B: 5 Things to Know

Cigna and Humana Merger Talks Could Face Antitrust Scrutiny

RNSA23: Cleveland Clinic and Canon Partner to Pioneer Next-Gen Imaging Technologies

RSNA23: Cleveland Clinic and Canon to Establish Comprehensive Imaging Research Center

Automating Implant Orders: A Turning Point in Healthcare’s Digital Transformation

Automating Implant Orders: A Turning Point in Healthcare’s Digital Transformation

Consumers Believe Generative AI Can Revolutionize Healthcare

71% of Consumers Believe Generative AI Can Revolutionize Healthcare

NCQA Launches Virtual Care Accreditation Pilot

NCQA Launches Virtual Care Accreditation Pilot

Novant Health Acquires Three Tenet Hospitals in South Carolina for $2.4 Billion

M&A: Novant Health Acquires 3 Tenet Hospitals in South Carolina for $2.4B

UnitedHealthcare Launches Virtual Prescription Renewal Option

UnitedHealthcare Accused of Using Faulty AI Model to Deny Healthcare Claims to Elderly Patients

Meet The Circular Smart Ring Slim, The Slimmest and Lightest Smart Ring in the World

Meet The Circular Smart Ring Slim, The Slimmest and Lightest Smart Ring in the World

MIT Spun Out Layer Health Launches with $4M to Build the AI Layer for Healthcare

MIT Spun Out Layer Health Launches with $4M to Build the AI Layer for Healthcare

Secondary Sidebar

Footer

Company

  • About Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Reprints and Permissions
  • 2023 Editorial Calendar
  • Submit An Op-Ed
  • Contact
  • Subscribe

Editorial Coverage

  • Opinion
  • Health IT
    • Care Coordination
    • EMR/EHR
    • Interoperability
    • Population Health Management
    • Revenue Cycle Management
  • Digital Health
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Blockchain Tech
    • Precision Medicine
    • Telehealth
    • Wearables
  • Startups
  • Value-Based Care
    • Accountable Care
    • Medicare Advantage

Connect

Subscribe to HIT Consultant Media

Latest insightful articles delivered straight to your inbox weekly

Copyright © 2023. HIT Consultant Media. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy |