Ambulatory CDI Specialist

Lexington Health; Columbia (SC); On-site; USD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Day One Benefits

401(k) Match

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

Tuition Reimbursement

Student Loan Forgiveness

FSAs

Job summary

Lexington Health is seeking an ambitious Ambulatory Clinical Documentation Integrity (CDI) Specialist to conduct comprehensive reviews of ambulatory records, identify HCC opportunities, and drive RAF score accuracy. The role emphasizes collaboration with physicians, nurses, and coders to improve documentation and patient outcomes.

The position requires an Associate's Degree in Nursing, 3+ years of clinical nursing experience, and active RN licensure with certification options (CDEO, CRC, CCDS-O,

Qualifications

• Associate's Degree in Nursing required.
• Minimum of 3 years clinical nursing experience; CDI, coding, or risk adjustment experience preferred.
• Current Registered Nurse license; professional certifications in outpatient CDI coding required within 2 years if not possessed at start.

Responsibilities

• Validate working HCC diagnoses affecting RAF scores by collaborating with physicians and advanced practice providers.
• Conduct prospective reviews of ambulatory records, documenting findings and tracking information.
• Identify documentation clarifications and engage providers to resolve discrepancies.
• Maintain strict patient confidentiality and comply with privacy regulations.
• Ensure documentation supports medical necessity and describes severity of illness for risk adjustment.
• Develop relationships with care teams to promote CDI program success.

Education

Associate's Degree in Nursing

Job description

ACO

Full Time

Day Shift

0800-1630

Lexington Health is a comprehensive network of care that includes six community medical and urgent care centers, nearly 80 physician practices, more than 9,000 health care professionals and Lexington Medical Center, a 607-bed teaching hospital in West Columbia, South Carolina. It was selected by Modern Healthcare as one of the Best Places to Work in Healthcare and was first in the state to achieve Magnet with Distinction status for excellence in nursing care. Consistently ranked as best in the Columbia Metro area by U.S. News & World Report, Lexington Health delivers more than 4,000 babies each year, performs more than 34,000 surgeries annually and is the region's third largest employer.

Lexington Health also includes an accredited Cancer Center of Excellence, the state’s first HeartCARE Center, the largest skilled nursing facility in the Carolinas, and an Alzheimer’s care center. Its postgraduate medical education programs include family medicine and transitional year residencies, as well as an informatics fellowship.

Job Summary

The Ambulatory Clinical Documentation Integrity (CDI) Specialist is responsible for conducting comprehensive prospective and retrospective reconciliation reviews of ambulatory medical records to identify and capture documented and potential Hierarchical Condition Category (HCC) diagnoses and autosuggested conditions impacting HCC coding and Risk Adjustment Factor (RAF) scores. The specialist will query providers to ensure accurate and complete documentation that supports HCC and condition-related diagnoses, ultimately enhancing RAF score accuracy and improving risk adjustment outcomes.

In this role, the CDI Specialist is responsible for facilitating improvement in the overall quality and completeness of medical record documentation on a prospective basis. The CDI Specialist promotes modifications to medical record documentation to ensure accurate depiction of the level of clinical services provided to the patient and to completely describe patients’ severity of illness. The CDI Specialist obtains appropriate clinical documentation through collaborative communications from having developed positive working relationships with physicians, nursing staff, other patient care providers, and the coders. The CDI Specialist is also responsible for providing informal and formal education to all members of the care team regarding clinical documentation.

Minimum Qualifications

Minimum Education: Associate's Degree in Nursing

Minimum Years of Experience: A minimum of 3 years clinical experience in nursing. Preferred experience includes CDI, coding, or risk adjustment experience in ambulatory or acute care setting.

Substitutable Education & Experience: None.

Required Certifications/Licensure: Current Registered Nurse (RN) License; Certification from either AAPC (Certified Documentation Expert - Outpatient (CDEO) or Certified Risk Adjustment Coder (CRC)) or ACDIS (Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist-Outpatient (CCDS-O)) or AHIMA (Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) or Certified Documentation Improvement Practitioner (CDIP)). Those without one of the listed certifications must obtain one of the listed certifications within 2 Years of entry into the role.

Required Training: None.

Essential Functions

• Validate the accurate assignment of working HCC diagnoses affecting RAF scores within the ambulatory patient population by collaborating with physicians and advanced practice providers.
• Conduct thorough prospective reviews of selected ambulatory patient records, documenting all relevant findings and tracking key information throughout the process.
• Identify areas where documentation requires clarification and engage with physicians, advanced practice providers, and other healthcare professionals to resolve discrepancies.
• Maintain strict confidentiality of patient information and hospital and physician practice data in accordance with privacy regulations.
• Assure all documentation is accurate, complete, and compliant, supporting acute or chronic conditions and medical necessity. This helps improve patient outcomes and supports risk adjustment needs.
• Develop and sustain positive working relationships with providers, advanced practice providers, administrators, and revenue cycle partners to promote the success of the CDI program.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Use strong communication skills to connect CDI workflow and processes, driving results through the ambulatory CDI program.
• Understanding of payment structures, outpatient reimbursement models, and the impact of provider documentation on ICD-10-CM and HCC risk adjustment, ensuring compliance with reporting standards for claims submission.
• Develop presentations for providers individually and in groups to understand the importance of CDI and requirements within the outpatient clinic settings.
• Able to effectively prioritize tasks such as documentation reviews, provider education, and program deadlines.
• Stay up to date with industry standards by participating in internal and external continuing education related to HCC documentation, ICD-10-CM coding, AHA Coding Clinics, and Official Coding Guidelines.
• Utilize software and other technology tools to prioritize tasks, collect and analyze data, and monitor program effectiveness and outcome reporting.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

We are committed to offering quality, cost-effective benefits choices for our benefit eligible employees and their families:

• Day ONE medical, dental and life insurance benefits
• Health care and dependent care flexible spending accounts (FSAs)
• Employees are eligible for enrollment into the 403(b) match plan day one. LHI matches dollar for dollar up to 6%.
• Employer paid life insurance – equal to 1x salary
• Employee may elect supplemental life insurance with low cost premiums up to 3x salary
• Adoption assistance
• LHI provides its full-time employees employer paid short-term disability and long-term disability coverage after 90 days of eligible employment
• Tuition reimbursement
• Student loan forgiveness

Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of Lexington Health to provide equal opportunity of employment for all individuals, and to remain compliant with applicable state and federal laws and regulations. Lexington Health strives to provide a discrimination-free environment, and to recruit, select, on-board, and employ all employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, or pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, including but not limited to, lactation. Lexington Health endeavors to upgrade and promote employees from within the hospital where possible and consistent with the employee’s desires and abilities and the hospital’s needs.

Nearest Major Market

Columbia

Nearest Secondary Market

South Carolina