Journal excerpt: CDI analyst responsibilities

One thing CDI analysts agree upon is that their role does not have a tidy “average day” agenda; everything depends on the needs of the department.

“Today I started with reviewing quarterly provider notes to make sure they are meeting what our policies and procedures say that they should,” says Phyllis Stevenson, MSN, RN, CCDS, CDI informaticist at Allen Hospital in Waterloo, Iowa. “Other days if there are updates either for the computer, an application, or updates for Epic, I have to disseminate that information out, and I also find out what is changing through our Epic Change Review.”

Stevenson also acts as the “device person” and takes calls from physicians if they are having issues with their documentation because she knows the nuances of what needs to be done for their workflow and to reduce “note bloat.”

In some cases, the analyst’s two primary responsibilities—data analysis and technology support—change based on the time of month or year, says Beth Simms, BSN, RN, CCDS, CDI systems specialist at Banner Health in Phoenix, Arizona. For example, the end of the month, quarter, or year is prime time for data reporting, and the information technology (IT) side of things may fall to the wayside till those reports are completed.

“It depends on the time of year; maybe I’ll be working on end-of-month reports or quarterly reports,” Simms says. “Other days I could be working with vendors if there’s an update coming, or I could be working on a special report request from the organization stakeholders. […] If there are any IT changes that have happened, I have to go in and make sure that the workflow is all updated.”

Once she’s reviewed any changes in the EHR or other software system, Simms then assesses the impact it may have on the organization’s business and works with the vendors and internal IT department to ensure the changes take effect smoothly.

“We kept finding new places for her to provide support,” says Jessica Risner, BSN, RN, CCDS, CDI director and Simms’ supervisor at Banner Health. “CDI really is a technology and data-based department. For a CDI department and/or staff to thrive, they must have technological literacy. Beth’s role ensures we keep oversight and understanding of our applications and data.”

Editor’s note: This article is an excerpt from the March/April 2021 edition of the CDI Journal.