What are the responsibilities and job description for the Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist position at UPMC?
Job Summary:
The Clinical Documentation Specialist (CDS) facilitates modifications to clinical documentation through concurrent interaction with physicians and other members of the health care team to support that appropriate clinical severity is captured for the level of services rendered to all inpatients.
Responsibilities:
- Participating at the organizational level in clinical documentation improvement initiatives
- Communicate with physicians, face-to-face or via clinical documentation inquiry forms, regarding missing, unclear or conflicting medical record documentation to clarify the information, obtain needed documentation, present opportunities, and educate for appropriate identification of severity of illness
- Preparing trended data for presentation one-on-one and small to medium groups of physicians
- Demonstrate an understanding of complications, co-morbidities, severity of illness, risk of mortality, case mix, secondary diagnosis, impact of procedures on the final DRG, and an ability to impart this knowledge to physicians and other members of the healthcare team
- Be responsible for the day-to-day evaluation of documentation by the Medical Staff and healthcare team
- Provide daily clinical evaluation of the medical record including physician and clinical documentation, lab results, diagnostic information and treatment plans