Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist

Riverside County, CA

$103K — $140K *
Healthcare
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in nursing or related field
  • Three years of experience as a registered nurse in an acute care hospital
  • One year of inpatient CDI experience preferred
  • Valid California RN license or relevant certification
  • In-depth knowledge of ICD-10 and CPT coding systems

Responsibilities

  • Conduct 24-hour admission reviews of patient records
  • Perform concurrent documentation reviews for inpatient and outpatient records
  • Develop methods to enhance clinical documentation accuracy
  • Communicate with healthcare providers to ensure proper documentation
  • Code a variety of medical procedures and diagnoses accurately
  • Analyze data for performance improvement
  • Participate in revenue cycle meetings and educate staff on documentation matters

Benefits

  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance options
  • Generous retirement tiers through CalPERS
  • Flexible vacation and sick leave policies
  • Paid holidays and bereavement leave
  • Basic life insurance and long-term disability benefits
  • Opportunity for professional development and education incentives
Full Job Description
Salary : $103,983.50 - $140,924.44 Annually
Location : Riverside
Job Type: Regular
Job Number: 26-13407-01 AL
Department: RUHS-Medical Center
Opening Date: 06/23/2026
Closing Date: 6/30/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

For questions regarding this position, please contact the Recruiter listed in the Supplemental Information section.
ABOUT THE POSITION
Riverside University Health System-Medical Center has an opportunity for an Inpatient Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist. Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI) Specialists review medical record documentation to assure completeness, clarity, accuracy, and overall quality in accordance with Coding and Clinical Documentation Improvement goals. This classification is responsible for concurrent clinical documentation review, with an emphasis on completeness and accuracy of healthcare provider documentation related to types of medical services provided and the level of patient illness severity throughout hospital admission/discharge. The CDI Specialist is experienced in clinical documentation review and capable of implementing methods of improving the accuracy, specificity, and completeness of patient-care documentation. The major role of a CDI Specialist is to serve as an institutional subject matter expert and as a resource for interpretation and application of coding rules and regulations; and, when necessary, write physician queries to obtain additional documentation or clarification. The incumbent provides guidance to physicians, clinicians, and coders regarding documentation requirements. A CDI Specialist is expected to possess an in-depth understanding of the substantive contents of a medical record, including extensive knowledge of a wide variety of specialized medical terminology, as well as medical diagnosis, treatment plans, and protocols.
Ideal candidates will have a strong understanding of PSI and HAC metrics, and the ability to ensure accurate documentation and coding that appropriately reflects patient acuity and quality outcomes in an acute care environment.
These positions have either a Monday-Friday or a Tuesday-Saturday, 9/80, hybrid in-person/remote schedule. Occasional travel will be required, as incumbents will rotate through the main hospital campus to provide CDI support and resources to clinical staff. During initial training and departmental onboarding, incumbents will work on-site full-time

EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL DUTIES
• Complete admission reviews of patients' records within 24-hours of admission to evaluate and analyze documentation in order to assign the principal diagnosis, pertinent secondary diagnoses and procedures for accurate and optimal CMS-Diagnostic Related Group (CMS-DRG) assignment.
• Initiate and perform concurrent documentation reviews of selected inpatient and outpatient records to clarify conditions/diagnoses and procedures where inadequate or conflicting documentation exists and conduct follow-up reviews as necessary.
• Develop and implement methods of improving the clarity, accuracy and completeness of clinical documentation; monitor and evaluate coding outcomes and provide periodic status to medical center departments and committees.
• Communicate with and serve as a resource for physicians, nurses and other healthcare providers to facilitate complete and accurate documentation of the patient record; query physicians regarding missing, unclear or conflicting medical record documentation and obtain additional documentation; keep physician leaders informed of pertinent data, documentation trends and opportunities for learning and improvement related to documentation integrity.
• Code a wide variety of procedures and primary and secondary diagnoses according to the applicable International Classification of Diseases (i.e., ICD-10-CM or subsequent adaptation) coding system and CPT-4 procedural coding system; prepare pertinent data from medical charts according to criteria established by the Office of State Wide Hospital Planning and Development (OSHPD) and the Medical Audit Committee or individual physicians for various studies, statistical indexing and preparation of summary reports to various regulatory agencies.
• Collect data for performance improvement and report findings and outcomes; participate in the analysis and trending of statistical data for specified patient populations to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Participate in revenue cycle meetings, providing data relative to reimbursement concerns; educate physicians and healthcare providers regarding documentation matters related to coding, billing and reimbursements.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

OPTION IEducation: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree in nursing.

Experience: Three years as a registered nurse in an acute care hospital. One year of inpatientCDI experience strongly preferred.

License/Certificate: Must possess and maintain a current valid license to practice as a Registered Nurse in the State of California.

Possession of valid Basic Life Support (BLS) Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) certificates issued by the American Heart Association for professional healthcare providers.

OPTION IIEducation: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree in health information management, health information technology or a related field to the assignment. (Additional qualifying experience may substitute for the required education on the basis of one year of full-time experience equaling 30 semester or 45 quarter units of the required education).

Experience: Four years of professional coding and abstracting medical records in a healthcare setting. One year of inpatient CDI experience strongly preferred.

Certificate: Possession of valid certification as a Certified Coding Specialist (CCS), Registered Health Information Technician, or Registered Health Information Administrator issued by the American Health Information Management Association.

OPTION IIIEducation: Completion of Doctor of Medicine degree.

Experience: One year of clinical documentation improvement experience in a healthcare setting. One year of inpatient CDI experience strongly preferred.

Certificate: Possession of valid certification as a Certified Coding Specialist (CCS), Registered Health Information Technician or Registered Health Information Administrator issued by the American Health Information Management Association. Certification in Clinical Documentation preferred.

ALL OPTIONSKnowledge of: Coding, abstracting and terminology systems such as International Classification of Diseases, Clinically Modified (ICD-10) and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT- 4); comprehensive medical terminology covering a wide variety of medical specialties; clinical documentation standards; federal, state and local laws and regulations governing professional aspects of nursing; payor source documentation requirements and governmental regulations affecting reimbursement.

Ability to: Analyze and interpret the technical elements of a medical chart; analyze, code and abstract complex technical data from medical records covering a wide variety of medical specialties utilizing an encoder and electronic abstracting system; prepare and maintain concise and complete records and reports; establish and maintain effective working relationships with physicians, patients and fellow employees; effective communication skills.
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

This recruitment is open to all applicants.

For additional information about this recruitment contact:
Angela Levinson
951-955-5562 or [email protected]
APPLICATION INFORMATION

Veteran's Preference
The County has a Veterans Preference Policy applicable to new hires. To qualify, attach the required documents to your job application. Documents include a copy of your (or your spouse's) Member-4 Form DD-214 indicating dates of service. For spousal preference, and as applicable, the following documents: a copy of your marriage certificate, spouse's death certificate, a letter of spouse's disability and/or letter of service-related death (if available) from the U.S. Veteran's Administration. For privacy reasons, it is recommended that you remove your social security information from the document(s). A Human Resources Representative will review the materials and determine if you qualify for veterans' preference. For complete details and documentation requirements, please review the Veterans Preference Policy, C-3 here:
Reasonable Accommodations
The County of Riverside is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). Qualified individuals with disabilities who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process should contact the recruiter for the position noted above. For additional information and/or to obtain the appropriate form for requesting a reasonable accommodation, please visit the Disability Access Office web page located at:
Proof of Education
If using education to qualify or when requested by the recruiter, upload a copy of any license(s), official/unofficial transcript(s), degrees, and/or related employment documents to your NeoGov account at the time of application and before the closing date. Official or unofficial transcripts will be accepted.

If your education was completed outside of the United States, you will need to provide a copy of your Foreign Education Equivalency evaluation from a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services () or Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. ().
Work Authorization Requirement
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of application. The County of Riverside does not participate in visa sponsorship programs, including H1-B visas, and will not provide sponsorship for any employment-based visas.
MEDICAL/DENTAL/VISION INSURANCE: A choice of different medical, dental and visions plan are available to elect. The County provides a Flexible Benefit Credit contribution as governed by the applicable SEIU Memorandum of Understanding to contribute towards the cost of these plans.

Note: Employees on assignment through the Temporary Assignment Program (TAP) receive different benefits. See the list
MISCELLANEOUS RETIREMENT: County of Riverside has three retirement Tiers through the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS).
  • Tier I (Classic Member - Formula 3% @ 60): Applicable to current and former County of Riverside local miscellaneous employees hired prior to 08/24/2012 and did not withdraw CalPERS contributions. The employee contribution is eight (8%) percent.
  • Tier II (Classic Member - Formula 2% @ 60): Applicable to local miscellaneous employees 1) hired after 08/23/2012 through 12/31/2012; 2) Previously employed with another CalPERS contracting public agency or a reciprocal retirement system, with a

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