Hospital Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist - FT - Day - Clinical Documentation Improvement Lawrenceville NJ

Pay Range:

Scheduled Weekly Hours:

Position Overview

Facilitates improvement of overall quality and completeness of clinical documentation in patient record through extensive interaction with physicians, nursing staff, other patient caregivers, and HIM coding staff. Ensures that medical record documentation provides an accurate representation of the patient's clinical complexity, diagnoses, severity, and expected risk of mortality to support accurate DRG assignment and quality measure reporting. Maintains up-to-date knowledge of clinical documentation requirements, DRG assignment, and clinical conditions or procedures. Educates members of patient care team regarding documentation guidelines, including attending physicians, allied health practitioners, nursing, and case management.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Education:    Graduate of an accredited school of nursing program. RN, required. BSN preferred. Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist (CCDS) or Certified Documentation Improvement Practitioner (CDIP) credential preferred.
Experience:    Two years’ recent clinical experience in an acute care setting, preferable ICU or Medical/Surgical, or three years related coding experience or clinical documentation improvement specialist experience in a hospital setting.
Other Credentials:    
Knowledge and Skills:    Strong critical thinking skills and the ability to review the medical record to identify information not yet documented but supported by clinical indicators or clinical clues. Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Working knowledge of all areas of adult medicine. Knowledge of pathophysiology and disease process. Intermediate computer skills. Familiarity with windows-based software programs and encoding software.
Special Training:    Certification as CCDS or CDIP preferred.
Mental, Behavioral and Emotional Abilities:    Ability to work in environment using multiple EMR systems. Excellent observation, analytical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Ability to learn/develop skills necessary to perform CDI. Flexible, dependable and self-directed. Ability to work independently. Demonstrates ethical conduct.
Usual Work Day:    8 Hours  
Reporting Relationships
Does this position formally supervise employees? No

If set to YES, then this position has the authority (delegated) to hire, terminate, discipline, promote or effectively recommend such to manager.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Completes initial reviews of patient records within 24-48 hours of admission for a specified patient population to evaluate documentation to assign the principal diagnosis, pertinent secondary diagnoses, and procedures for accurate DRG assignment, risk of mortality, and severity of illness
Conducts follow-up reviews of patients every 2-3 days to support and assign a working or final DRG assignment upon patient discharge, as necessary
Queries physicians regarding missing, unclear, or conflicting health record documentation by requesting and obtaining additional documentation within the health record when needed. Proactively identifies issues with reporting of diagnostic testing.
Educates physicians and key healthcare providers regarding clinical documentation improvement and the need for accurate and complete documentation in the health record.
Fosters teamwork and collaboration. Meets or exceeds departmental accuracy and productivity standards.
Attends hospital or Medical Staff meetings to review or respond to documentation related issues.
Provides technical assistance to the Medical Staff and patient care providers to efficiently navigate the electronic medical which could reside in multiple systems
Partners with coding professionals to ensure accuracy of diagnostic and procedural data and completeness of supporting documentation to determine a working and final DRG, severity of illness, and/or risk of mortality
Reviews and clarifies clinical issues in health record with coding professionals that would support an accurate DRG assignment, severity of illness, and/or risk of mortality.
Facilitates change processes required to capture needed documentations, such as EMR template redesign
Support pre-bill or post-bill reviews to address documentation gaps impacting reimbursement or quality measures.
Maintains a level of expertise by attending continuing education programs.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT
Frequent physical demands include: Wrist position deviation , Pinching/fine motor activities

Occasional physical demands include: Standing , Walking , Climbing (e.g., stairs or ladders) , Carry objects , Push/Pull , Twisting , Bending , Reaching forward , Reaching overhead , Squat/kneel/crawl

Continuous physical demands include: Sitting , Keyboard use/repetitive motion , Talk or Hear

Lifting Floor to Waist 15 lbs. Lifting Waist Level and Above 10 lbs.

Sensory Requirements include: Accurate Near Vision, Minimal Hearing
Anticipated Occupational Exposure Risks Include the following: Bloodborne Pathogens , Chemical , Airborne Communicable Disease , Uneven Surfaces or Elevations , Dust/Particulate Matter

This position is eligible for the following benefits:

• Medical Plan

• Prescription drug coverage & In-House Employee Pharmacy

• Dental Plan

• Vision Plan

• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

- Healthcare FSA

- Dependent Care FSA

• Retirement Savings and Investment Plan

• Basic Group Term Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance

• Supplemental Group Term Life & Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance

• Disability Benefits – Long Term Disability (LTD)

• Disability Benefits – Short Term Disability (STD)

• Employee Assistance Program

• Commuter Transit

• Commuter Parking

• Supplemental Life Insurance

- Voluntary Life Spouse

- Voluntary Life Employee

- Voluntary Life Child

• Voluntary Legal Services

• Voluntary Accident, Critical Illness and Hospital Indemnity Insurance

• Voluntary Identity Theft Insurance

• Voluntary Pet Insurance

• Paid Time-Off Program

The pay range listed is a good faith determination of potential base compensation that may be offered to a successful applicant for this position at the time of this job advertisement and may be modified in the future. When determining base salary and/or rate, several factors may be considered including, but not limited to location, years of relevant experience, education, credentials, negotiated contracts, budget, market data, and internal equity. Bonus and/or incentive eligibility are determined by role and level. 

The salary applies specifically to the position being advertised and does not include potential bonuses, incentive compensation, differential pay or other forms of compensation, compensation allowance, or benefits health or welfare. Actual total compensation may vary based on factors such as experience, skills, qualifications, and other relevant criteria.