The healthcare industry has evolved over the past year with ICD-10-CM/PCS implementation, new controversial clinical definitions, expansion beyond the traditional acute care hospital scope, and further developments in quality and performance-based initiatives. The success of CDI in this rapidly changing landscape requires CDI professionals to work across disciplines, “in concert” with other departments, and across the continuum of care to achieve the best outcomes with their documentation reviews. 

“There is so much going on in healthcare with coding issues, clinical guidelines, and quality initiatives,” says ACDIS Advisory Board member and CDI Week survey advisor, Paul Evans, RHIA, CCDS, CCS, CCS-P, clinical documentation integrity leader at the Sutter West Bay Hospital Administration in San Francisco. “CDI specialists have to collaborate regularly with other departments to ensure program effectiveness and success.” 

Every year, ACDIS asks its members to weigh in on changes in the healthcare industry in the CDI Week Industry Overview Survey. According to the 2016 survey, which garnered 612 respondents, CDI already relies on collaboration and insight from other departments. In fact, 89.4% of survey respondents collaborate regularly with HIM and coding, quality, physician service lines, and finance. 

The survey also revealed a number of other developments. CDI departments have expanded, or are planning to expand their CDI efforts beyond the traditional inpatient acute care hospital setting. They generally feel their CDI efforts have garnered more support from medical staff, and they have noticed improvements in physician engagement and query response rate. Respondents also indicate productivity improvements due to implementation of electronic health records, and typically believe the outlook for CDI growth and advancement is high, though many feel the opportunities within their own facilities are limited. 

Attached is a recap of the survey’s results (which begin on p. 9) and Evans’ commentary.