[1] With the expansion of risk-adjusted value-based payment and quality measures and increasing accountability by regulatory agencies, CDI now impacts at least 20 different models affecting payers, facilities, and providers.
As many clinical coders don't have patient care backgrounds, and healthcare providers might not realize the importance of accurate documentation, the CDI professional serves to make the connection between these two groups.
ACDIS provides the Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist (CCDS) and CCDS-Outpatient (CCDS-O) certifications, CDI boot camps, online learning, books, and webinars.
Additionally, a lack of information or assigning DRGs with a lower relative weight may cause hospitals to lose out on reimbursements and face value-based penalties.
According to a 2016 Black Book Market Research survey, almost 90% of hospitals that employed a strong CDI program with skilled specialists earned at least $1.5 million more through reimbursements and healthcare revenue.