News: 2012 survey shows slight increase in CDI specialist salaries

Demographically speaking, most CDI specialists are women (96%) between the ages of 40 and 59 years of age (75%). Most (72%) are nurses who work in the acute care setting (93%). CDI experience levels have increased. In 2008, 61% of respondents indicated that they had two years or less experience in the CDI role. This year’s survey shows 64% have between three to 15 years experience, and 36% have two years or less in the profession.

 

That growth of professional experience seems appropriate, says Basanti Sharon Olsen, RN, MSN, CCDS, CDI manager at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C. “Most programs got their start at the time MS-DRGs were implemented, and more facilities have implemented these programs as their benefit has become apparent,” she says.

 

With the increased need for clinical documentation specificity under ICD-10, Olsen anticipates another “uptick” in new CDI programs and an influx of new specialists to the profession. In addition, with new government and payer initiatives such as value-based purchasing, the CDI specialist’s role “is going to be even more vital,” she says.

 

The increased importance of CDI programs does not appear to have had much effect on compensation, however.

 

The majority of respondents (26%) earn $60,000–$69,999 annually (ACDIS members can view the related charts for this analysis in the full report), which is largely consistent with ACDIS’ three previous surveys. Comparing salary ranges from the 2010 survey against this year’s results, 4% of respondents jumped a pay grade. Those earning $70,000–$79,999 rose from 16% in 2010 to 20% in 2012. Just about all other pay ranges shifted minimally by a single percentage point or two.

 

“I do think that as our roles become more developed and the value of the position becomes more clearly recognized, the compensation will increase,” says Jamie Doster, RN, CDI specialist at Emory University Healthcare in Atlanta.

 

Some CDI specialists expressed a hope that increased compensation comes sooner rather than later, given the increased demands under ICD-10 and other CMS initiatives. “With ICD-10 on the horizon and the need for physician training in documentation, CDI specialist roles should have an increase in compensation based on the huge responsibility we currently have and the expectations for future efforts,” said one survey commenter.

 

Editor's Note: This article is an excerpt from the 2012 Salary Survey and is the "Featured Article" on the ACDIS homepage.