Conference Q&A: ‘The Physician Advisor’s Role in CDI’
Editor’s Note: This post is part of an ongoing series of Q&As with presenters and participants from the 2012 ACDIS Conference in San Diego. Today’s post features Trey La Charite, MD, ACDIS Advisory Board member and physician advisor for the University of Tennessee Medical Center who is co-presenting the ACDIS pre-conference session titled “The Physician Advisor’s Role in CDI: A collaborative approach for success.” The two-day session began today.
Q: How much time should a physician advisor dedicate to CDI efforts every week?
A: I hate to sound like I am deflecting but it truly depends on the size of the facility and the depth of the problem. If you have a big hospital and nobody ever writes anything in the chart, you have a lifetime’s worth of work ahead. If your facility only has 100 beds and most people already write reasonable notes, then you may only need just two to three hours a week.
In general, however, I would think that around 25 to 30 hours a month is a reasonable starting estimate with the understanding that this will likely grow as the wide-reaching effects of a CDI advisor are realized in the utilization review, quality improvement, compliance, and denial/appeal worlds.
Q: What are the top three reasons to employ a physician advisor who is specifically dedicated to documentation improvement?
- Although this paints physicians in a negative light, most physicians simply take education, direction, and suggestion better from other physicians. Unfortunately, many physicians will just not listen to a nurse, HIM personnel, or an administrator.
- CDI programs need a constant, positive, and visible example of someone “walking the walk” as opposed to just “talking the talk.”
- The need for tying a program to a face. The medical staff may take a new endeavor more seriously if they know this is “Dr. So-And-So’s program.”
Q: What are three of the CDI physician advisor’s primary tasks?
- Medical staff education
- Being a visible example of following all CDI principles (definition usage, creating excellent notes, etc.)
- Establishing program direction and providing guidance
Q: What is the greatest obstacle to hiring/employing a physician advisor?
A: The fear of being seen as someone who has been seduced by the dark side of the force (i.e. – administration in the C-suite).
Q: What are you looking forward to most about this year’s ACDIS Conference?
A: Learning from other CDI professionals how they achieve CDI success in their facilities.