You have requested access to member only content.

Director's Note: Use case-mix index metrics with caution

Many CDI managers use case-mix index (CMI) as the primary metric for determining the success or failure of their program. If the CMI rises in a given month, the CDI staff is doing its job, appropriately querying physicians for the correct principal diagnosis and accompanying complications/comorbidities.

If the CMI dips, CDI staff aren’t getting physicians to respond, or aren’t reviewing records thoroughly enough. Or so goes the common logic. But using CMI as your solitary or even principal metric for success is fraught with problems. Sure, CMI shows a good snapshot of the type of patients a hospital is treating. But as a cold piece of data in isolation it does not tell the story of what is going on inside the walls of a given facility.

 

Not a member? Let's fix that!

ACDIS is the nation's only association dedicated to the clinical documentation improvement profession. Whether you're a veteran CDI specialist or new to the position, or a physician advisor or HIM/coding professional, you'll want to take advantage of all the benefits of ACDIS membership including a career center, CDI Journal, CDI Forum, sample forms and tools, and much more.

For questions and support, please call ACDIS customer service: 800-650-6787.