System Director, IP Coding & CDI

LCMC Health; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

LCMC Health is seeking a Director of System CDI & Inpatient Coding to lead a high-performing team transforming documentation excellence across the health system. This role partners with physicians, executives, and clinical staff to ensure documentation accurately reflects care complexity, supports quality metrics, and enhances reimbursement integrity.

You will drive strategy, mentor CDI professionals, and oversee ICD-10-CM/PCS coding with a focus on improving patient safety indicators and risk

Qualifications

• RN or physician leader with CDI/ inpatient coding expertise
• Bachelor's in Nursing or MD required; master's preferred
• CCDS or CDIP and CCS certifications highly desirable

Responsibilities

• Develop and oversee system-wide CDI and inpatient coding strategy
• Lead and develop CDI professionals and coding staff across the health system
• Partner with physicians and executives to improve documentation accuracy and quality metrics
• Drive regulatory compliance, risk adjustment, and reimbursement integrity
• Monitor coding quality, productivity, and denial trends; implement improvements
• Engage in physician education and query processes to enhance documentation specificity

Skills

Leadership

Clinical documentation integrity

Strategic thinking

Education & coaching

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Nursing or MD

Master's degree

Tools

ICD-10-CM/PCS

DRG methodologies

Quality reporting systems

Job description

Your job is more than a job

Are you a visionary healthcare leader who is passionate about improving patient outcomes, advancing clinical quality, and ensuring the patient story is accurately captured in the medical record?

LCMC Health is seeking a dynamic and influential Director, System Clinical Documentation Integrity (CDI) & Hospital Inpatient Coding to lead a high-performing team responsible for transforming documentation excellence across our health system. This is a unique opportunity for a strategic RN or physician leader to drive meaningful change at the intersection of clinical care, quality outcomes, patient safety, and healthcare finance.

In this leadership role, you’ll partner with physicians, executives, quality leaders, revenue cycle teams, and clinical staff to ensure documentation accurately reflects the complexity of care being delivered while supporting quality metrics, risk adjustment, reimbursement integrity, and organizational performance.

If you’re energized by collaboration, innovation, physician engagement, and leading large-scale improvement initiatives, we’d love to hear from you.

Why This Role Matters

Every patient has a story. Your team ensures that story is fully and accurately told.

As the Director of CDI & Inpatient Coding, you will influence:

• Patient safety and quality outcomes
• Severity of illness and risk adjustment accuracy
• Physician engagement and education
• Regulatory compliance
• Organizational performance and reimbursement
• Data-driven decision making across the health system

Your leadership will directly contribute to our mission of providing extraordinary care while helping shape the future of healthcare documentation excellence.

What You’ll Do

Lead Strategy and Innovation

• Develop and execute a system-wide vision and strategy for CDI and inpatient coding programs.
• Drive initiatives that enhance documentation quality, coding accuracy, operational effectiveness, and financial performance.
• Identify opportunities to leverage technology, analytics, and industry best practices to improve outcomes.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership on CDI, coding, quality, and risk adjustment performance.

Inspire and Develop High-Performing Teams

• Lead, mentor, and develop teams of CDI professionals and inpatient coding experts.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous learning, and excellence.
• Recruit and retain top talent while building future leaders within the organization.
• Create an environment where innovation and professional growth thrive.

Partner with Physicians to Improve Documentation Excellence

• Build strong relationships with physicians and clinical leaders across the health system.
• Champion educational initiatives that help providers understand the impact of documentation on quality outcomes, patient safety, risk adjustment, and reimbursement.
• Oversee a compliant, effective physician query process that improves documentation specificity and accuracy.
• Serve as a key liaison between clinical and operational teams.

Drive Quality, Safety, and Risk Adjustment Performance

• Partner closely with Quality, Risk Management, Case Management, and Medical Staff leadership.
• Improve documentation practices related to:
  • Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs)
  • Hospital Acquired Conditions (HACs)
  • Severity of Illness (SOI)
  • Risk of Mortality (ROM)
  • Elixhauser Comorbidity Index
  • Hierarchical Condition Categories (HCCs)
• Ensure documentation fully reflects the complexity and quality of care delivered to our patients.

Oversee Coding Excellence

• Provide strategic oversight of inpatient coding operations across the health system.
• Ensure accurate and timely assignment of ICD-10-CM/PCS and related coding classifications.
• Monitor coding quality, productivity, denial trends, and regulatory compliance.
• Lead continuous improvement efforts to optimize coding performance and data integrity.

Leverage Data to Drive Results

• Analyze key performance indicators and emerging trends.
• Measure program effectiveness through metrics such as:
  • Case Mix Index (CMI)
  • MCC/CC Capture
  • Coding Accuracy
  • Documentation Quality
  • Risk Adjustment Performance
• Present actionable insights and recommendations to senior leadership.

What Makes You a Great Fit

You are a collaborative healthcare leader who can inspire physicians, engage clinical teams, and build strong partnerships across the organization.

You bring:

• Exceptional leadership and relationship-building skills
• Strong business and clinical acumen
• Expertise in CDI, coding, quality metrics, and healthcare regulations
• A passion for education, analytics, and performance improvement
• The ability to influence change and drive measurable results

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Nursing or MD required
• Master’s degree preferred

Licensure & Certifications

Required:

• Active Registered Nurse (RN) license
• CCDS or CDIP certification
• CCS certification

Preferred:

• RHIA or RHIT certification

Experience

• 7-10+ years of progressive CDI experience within complex acute care health systems, including academic medical centers
• Significant experience in inpatient coding and/or CDI leadership
• 5+ years leading CDI, coding, or revenue integrity teams
• Deep knowledge of:
  • ICD-10-CM/PCS
  • DRG methodologies
  • Risk adjustment
  • Quality reporting
  • Regulatory compliance
  • Healthcare reimbursement

Why LCMC Health?

At LCMC Health, you’ll join a mission-driven organization committed to extraordinary care, innovation, and collaboration. You’ll have the opportunity to influence care across an entire health system, work alongside exceptional clinical leaders, and leave a lasting impact on patients, providers, and communities throughout Louisiana.

WORK SHIFT:

Days (United States of America)

LCMC Health is a community.

Our people make health happen. While our NOLA roots run deep, our branches are the vessels that carry our mission of bringing the best possible care to every person and parish in Louisiana and beyond and put a little more heart and soul into healthcare along the way. Celebrating authenticity, originality, equity, inclusion and a little “come on in” attitude is the foundation of LCMC Health’s culture of everyday extraordinary

Your extras

• Deliver healthcare with heart.
• Give people a reason to smile.
• Put a little love in your work.
• Be honest and real, but with compassion.
• Bring some lagniappe into everything you do.
• Forget one‑size‑fits‑all, think one‑of‑a‑kind care.
• See opportunities, not problems – it’s all about perspective.
• Cheerlead ideas, differences, and each other.
• Love what makes you, you - because we do

You are welcome here.

LCMC Health is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The above job summary is intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by people assigned to this work. This is not an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. LCMC Health reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet organizational needs as necessary.