CDI efforts in the ED need not be traumatic

In room 34 of the emergency department (ED) at Healthytown Municipal Hospital, a morbidly obese woman breathes with the aid of a face mask. A CDI specialist walks by and notices how the woman’s abdomen, not just her chest, rises and falls and decides to take a look at what the physician has documented in the medical record so far. Shortness of breath is all that’s written there.

“This is a perfect example of how a CDI specialist can make a difference in the ED,” says Glenn Krauss, BBA, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CPUR, C-CDI, CCDS, an independent consultant based in Madison, WI. “If the CDI specialist is there, [he/she] can do a drive-by check-in on patients, facilitate and capture any documentation  opportunities, and provide physician education in real time.”