Continuous Clinical Documentation Improvement/CCDI

MARSI started a CDI program over a decade ago before most hospitals had heard of it. It was obvious that having specialists who felt comfortable discussing documentation and coding with physicians was necessary for improvement. We also believe that there needs to be close interaction between those specialists and expert coding auditors. All of that is identical in risk adjustment/HCCs. It is all about a “query” process.

Physicians are quite capable of learning clinical concepts the first time with little reinforcement because… It’s important! That is not the case with documentation and coding. Physicians can learn, but it usually takes more repetition. And they learn better with their own charts, not with someone else’s mistakes. Of course, at the same time, there mistakes can be reconciled through the query process.

Combine the above with reports, or even report cards, and the physicians can see positive change. And, if the physicians are incentivized to transition from fee-for-service documentation, coding and reimbursement to risk-adjusted documentation, coding and reimbursement, the report cards mean even more. The combination of Continuous Clinical Documentation Improvement and incentivized physicians creates fairly rapid and relatively painless change with MARSI as the guide.