Clinical documentation improvement (CDI) is a decisive element of healthcare operations. It guarantees that patient medical records are accurate, complete, and reflect the level of care provided. CDI is a process that impacts both clinical results and financial performance.
What is CDI?
CDI is a process that centers on enhancing the accuracy and entirety of clinical documentation. The process requires evaluating medical records and ensuring the documentation accurately reflects the care provided to the patient. It consists of identifying gaps and inconsistencies in the medical history, working with physicians and other healthcare providers to clarify documentation, and updating that record as required.
Impact of CDI on Reimbursement
CDI has a significant impact on reimbursement rates in healthcare. Creating accurate and complete clinical documentation is crucial to receiving appropriate reimbursement for its services.
Here are some ways where CDI impacts reimbursement rates.
Increased Revenue
Clinical documentation improvement programs can help healthcare organizations increase revenue by improving documentation accuracy and completeness. Providers receive reimbursement for all services they provide to patients with accurate documentation. Documentation gaps or inconsistencies can result in under-coding and lost revenue.
It can also help identify overlooked opportunities for reimbursement and verify that all services provided are registered correctly. That leads to increased revenue for the healthcare organization.
Improved Quality Metrics
Clinical documentation is a pivotal component in measuring quality metrics in healthcare. Health organizations use Readmission rates and patient outcomes to evaluate their performance.
CDI programs help improve quality metrics by identifying documentation gaps and inconsistencies that impact the accuracy of quality metric measurements. Improving quality metrics can lead to improved reimbursement rates and better patient outcomes.
Reduced Audit Risk
Incomplete or imprecise documentation can result in audits by regulatory agencies. Audits can be time-consuming and costly for healthcare organizations, resulting in reduced reimbursement rates or penalties for noncompliance.
Improved Risk Adjustment
Risk adjustment is a method used to calculate reimbursement rates for Medicare Advantage plans. It is based on the patient’s health status, as documented in the medical record.
Having accurate and complete documentation ensures that patients are risk-adjusted correctly and that reimbursement rates are appropriate.
CDI is a process that impacts both clinical outcomes and financial performance, where accurate and complete clinical documentation assures appropriate reimbursement for services provided.
Furthermore, CDI programs can help healthcare organizations improve documentation accuracy and completeness, increase revenue, improve quality metrics, reduce audit risk, and improve risk adjustment. Healthcare organizations can improve their financial performance and provide better patient care.
If you are a healthcare organization looking to improve your reimbursement rates, consider partnering with Hiteks Solutions for our Clinical documentation improvement solutions.
Our team of experts can work with you to develop a customized CDI program that meets your organization’s specific needs and goals.
Contact us today to learn more about how our CDI services can help your organization improve financial performance and provide better patient care.
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