Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialist / Out Patient (Remote)

University Hospitals; Shaker Heights (OH); Remote; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

University Hospitals is seeking a Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialist for Outpatient services, including remote work. The role focuses on ensuring accurate clinical documentation, coding accuracy, and collaboration with clinicians to improve patient records.

The position requires clinical coding experience, nursing or allied health education, and ability to provide education to providers while maintaining AHIMA standards. Remote option is offered with hospital partnerships.

Qualifications

• Must possess up-to-date clinical skills across pathology, pharmacology and procedures.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including presentations.
• Ability to function independently and as part of a team in a fast-paced setting.

Responsibilities

• Review medical records to ensure accurate documentation and code assignment.
• Collaborate with physicians and coding teams to improve documentation quality.
• Educate clinicians on documentation best practices and CMS/AHIMA guidelines.
• Write clear, AHIMA-compliant queries to obtain necessary information.
• Escalate non-response to queries per policy and timelines.
• Support DRG accuracy and hospital case-mix integrity through audits.
• Participate in service line rounding and provider education sessions.
• Maintain HIPAA-compliant handling of PHI and chart reviews.

Skills

Clinical knowledge

Communication skills

Independent work

Detail oriented

Disease pathophysiology knowledge

Education

Associate's Degree in health related field or Diploma in Nursing

Bachelor's Degree in health related field (Preferred)

Tools

Clinical computer systems

Job description

Job Description - Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialist / Out Patient (Remote) (260008ZC)

Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialist / Out Patient (Remote) - ( 260008ZC )

A Brief Overview

The Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialist is responsible for utilizing independent clinical judgement in facilitating the integrity, overall quality, accuracy and completeness of provider-based clinical documentation in the medical record. This position is responsible for collaborating with healthcare providers to ensure the documentation in the medical record accurately reflects the patient. The CDI Specialist assesses the clinical documentation through extensive review of the medical record, interacts with multiple members of the healthcare team, educates and assists the clinical areas in effective and compliant documentation. The CDI Specialist provides guidance with processes in the clinical departments to support accurate, timely and complete documentation in agreement with company policies and procedures.

What You Will Do

• Ensures documentation is accurate and complete by performing timely medical record review and determination of code assignment by applying clinical and/or coding expertise to identify opportunities for improved or clarified documentation that accurately reflects the patient. Direct and timely follow-up with clinical providers to ensure requested clarification is provided.
• Responsible and accountable for expanding CDI and coding knowledge (keeping up to date on latest research, technology, treatment modalities, etc.)
• Utilizes critical thinking/problem solving processes
• Appropriately utilizes and interprets professional association resource materials and regulatory agencies guidelines to enhance own skill sets: Coding Clinics, AHIMA, CMS guidelines
• Identifies query opportunities for record integrity
• Is proficient in query writing so that the question is easily understood by the physician
• Query writing is AHIMA compliant per practice briefs (Is proficient in query writing so that the question is easily understood by the physician)
• Escalates non-response to query by physicians immediately according to query escalation policy
• Collaborates with the coding team
• Actively engages in educating physicians and other clinical care providers regarding clinical documentation in a variety of formats including participation in clinical rounding, service line focused education sessions and one to one case specific feedback.
• Consistently provides a collaborative relationship with healthcare team providers/members
• Participates in service line rounding/touch-point routinely.
• Provides ongoing service line directed education to provider teams
• Applies knowledge of health care workflows in order to work collaboratively with medical staff and other health care team members to improve the overall accuracy and comprehensiveness of medical record documentation, with focus on ensuring accurate reporting of quality outcomes.
• Seeks and provides feedback for improved CDI practice and integrity/quality of medical record documentation.
• Meets established operational and productivity standards.
• Consistently meets productivity, quality, and AHIMA ethical standards.
• Proficient and efficient use of the CDI business platform

Additional Responsibilities

• Amendment for Inpatient Clinical Documentation Specialist
• Performs review of facility inpatient encounters to ensure hospital case-mix index and severity profiles are accurate by performing timely medical record review, determination of working DRG assignment and applying clinical expertise to identify opportunities for improved or clarified documentation that accurately reflects the severity of illness and risk of mortality of the patient. Direct and timely follow-up with clinical providers to ensure requested clarification is provided.
• Demonstrates proficiency in establishing and reconciling DRG processes compliant with departmental guidelines and CMS regulations.
• Demonstrates proficiency in reviewing increasingly complex (SOI and ROM) cases.
• Participates in service line rounding/touch-point routinely, based on facility needs.
• Identifies HAC/PSI query opportunity utilizing resources and follows department guidelines for HAC/PSI query processes
• Comprehends the impact of accurate clinical documentation in the medical record beyond establishing a working DRG: accurate billing, public reporting, research data, quality metrics, provider scorecards, accuracy of the UHDDS, Case Mix Index (CMI).
• Demonstrates skills of high efficiency and accuracy to identify and reduce DRG downgrades/denial risks by assuring that clinical support is beyond dispute for DRG integrity, coding and billing needs
• Amendment for Outpatient Clinical Documentation Specialist
• Performs review of facility outpatient encounters identified as potentially missing charges and conducts additional research to help resolve the areas of opportunity and identify the root cause of the issues causing the missed charges.
• Coordinates with clinical departments including Coding, CDM, Finance and others to review, correct claims and identify root cause of missing charges.
• Performs analysis of patient clinical and billing data to identify documentation, coding and charging opportunities, summarizes data and prepares summary materials for discussion with clinical and finance teams.
• Develops and maintains project plans and project tracking, including documentation of project meetings and project issues lists.
• Work with finance to track revenue indicators and corresponding action plans.
• Auditing and monitoring of defined areas.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Complies with all policies and standards.
• For specific duties and responsibilities, refer to documentation provided by the department during orientation.
• Must abide by all requirements to safely and securely maintain Protected Health Information (PHI) for our patients. Annual training, the UH Code of Conduct and UH policies and procedures are in place to address appropriate use of PHI in the workplace.

Education

• Associate's Degree in health related field or Other Accredited Program: Diploma in Nursing (Required)
• Bachelor's Degree in health related field (Preferred)

Work Experience

• 3+ years clinical and/or ICD-10 coding experience, preferably in a large academic medical center (Required)
• 1+ years Experience using clinical computer systems (Required)

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Must have thorough, up-to-date clinical skills (i.e. current working knowledge of pathology, pharmacology, surgical procedures, etc.). (Required proficiency)
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills including presentations. (Required proficiency)
• Ability to function independently and as a team player in a fast-paced environment. (Required proficiency)
• Detail-oriented, and relationship building skills. (Required proficiency)
• Demonstrates and has extensive knowledge of disease pathophysiology (Required proficiency)

Licenses and Certifications

• Registered Nurse (RN), Ohio and/or Multi State Compact License (Required Upon Hire) or
• Registered Health Information Administration (RHIA) (Required Upon Hire) or
• Registered Health Information Technologist (RHIT) (Required Upon Hire)