Nurse CDI & Quality Improvement Specialist

Kootenai Health; Coeur d'Alene (ID); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employer-paid medical benefits

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Tuition assistance

Retirement plan with employer match

Shift differentials

Wellness program

PerkSpot discounts

Employee referral bonus

Job summary

Kootenai Health in Idaho is seeking a Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist to enhance accuracy and completeness of provider documentation. You will work with CDI leadership, physicians, coding, and billing teams to identify opportunities for improvement and to ensure high-quality data for profiling and reporting.

The role requires 5+ years in acute care and CDS experience, with CDIP/CCDS certification.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in nursing required; Master’s preferred.
• State of Idaho RN license or pending licensure as documented by temporary licensure or current RN licensure in a multi-state compact prior to start.
• Minimum 5 years’ acute care clinical experience.
• 3 years’ clinical documentation specialist experience.
• CDIP or CCDS certification required.
• Quality/leadership background preferred.

Responsibilities

• Explain complications, severity of illness, and risk of mortality (MCC/CC, SOI, ROM) and their impact on DRG calculations.
• Demonstrate self-direction, analytical teaching, and clear verbal and written communication.
• Perform retrospective reviews of inpatient coding and medical records focusing on quality metrics and denial prevention.
• Compose compliant queries to providers to obtain documentation clarification.
• Educate clinicians and staff on query workflows, CDI concepts, coding guidelines and quality concepts.
• Utilize software to collect, track and report outcomes, analyze data, and prepare improvements for KH quality metrics.
• Participate in quality committees as needed.
• Mentor new CDS staff on quality concepts and coding guidelines.
• Back up for concurrent, retrospective, and denial reviews.
• Maintain regular attendance and complete mandatory training.

Skills

Nursing expertise

Clinical documentation

Leadership

Query guidance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in nursing

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

Kootenai Health in Idaho is seeking a Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist to enhance accuracy and completeness of provider documentation. You will work with CDI leadership, physicians, coding, and billing teams to identify opportunities for improvement and to ensure high-quality data for profiling and reporting.

The role requires 5+ years in acute care and CDS experience, with CDIP/CCDS certification.