Solutions > Six Myths of CDI

Six Myths of CDI

Six myths that keep hospitals from improving their clinical documentation.

Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI). It’s one of the most effective things any hospital can do to increase CMI and get properly reimbursed for the services it provides. If you can improve the accuracy of your documentation, you’ll also improve comparative performance reports, ensure compliance, and enhance patient care quality.

So why are some hospitals just now starting to explore CDI? There are six main myths that have been holding them back. And it’s time to expose those myths…

MYTH #1: Documentation isn’t as important as getting the coding right.

Actually, the greatest hindrance to coding accuracy is your documentation. If you can get the documentation right from the moment a patient enters your facility, then everything else will fall into place more easily. Clinical documentation improvement means that:

  • Doctors and nurses have the training and tools they need to document the severity and complexity of each case.
  • Data is captured in real time or nearly real time, not reconstructed long after the event has occurred. Coders have better details to work with and more support.
  • Compliance is improved because the clinical record is well-documented, giving your institution more protection in the event of an audit.

MYTH #2: This wouldn’t work for us because we could never get everyone on the same page.

Most hospital administrators see the value of clinical documentation improvement, but worry that they would have to ask doctors, nurses, coders, and others to make too many changes. At JATA, we have implemented CDI solutions for over 500 hospitals nationwide, and we consistently achieve buy-in from all stakeholders. How?

  • By demonstrating the specific, tangible benefits for each stakeholder – the physicians, nurses, coders, and administrators alike.
  • By conducting our highly successful peer-to-peer training: doctors work with doctors… nurses with nurses… coding experts with your coding team.
  • By following a proven process and best practices that make implementation easier for everyone.

MYTH #3: It sounds great, but this kind of implementation is just too costly and complex.

The right documentation improvement program will pay for itself in a matter of months.

  • During the assessment phase, we help you identify your ROI goals.
  • Then, we commit to working with you and your team until you meet your specific financial targets and other goals.
  • Since we support you every step of the way, you don’t have to worry about the process being too big or complex to handle.

MYTH #4: We don’t have the right people to run the program, and we can’t afford to add more FTEs.

When you work with JATA, you don’t have to worry about how to staff the solution. We can help you work through the personnel issues and make sure you have the right people in place to implement CDMP.

  • Often we find that a hospital already has the personnel necessary to run the program – they just need training.
  • If additional resources are required, we can help recruit and screen workers who will handle this for you.
  • We can also staff your CDMP until you have the team in place to manage it yourself.

MYTH #5: If we don’t have the IT support internally, we can’t pull this off.

Again, when you work with JATA, we can help manage everything – including the technology implementation.

  • Our technology experts will make sure that our tools and systems fully integrate with – and never interfere with – your existing HIS solutions.
  • Should any customization be required, we’ll take care of it.
  • If needed, we can even handle the entire software configuration for you.
  • Or, if you’d rather handle it internally, we can work with your IT department to help manage and support the implementation.

MYTH #6: We may get off to a good start, but there’s no guarantee that we can sustain the process.

In fact, there is a guarantee. At JATA, we guarantee the success of your CDI solution, and we will continue to work with your institution until we reach the goals you have set.

The truth is, CDI can be a doable, affordable, and highly effective solution for any hospital.

We know CDI works, because we’ve been implementing highly effective CDI solutions since 1991. At JATA, we have more CDI experience than any other provider. It’s all we do, and no one does it better. No one offers you more resources, more support, or more in-depth knowledge. Just as important, we stand by our implementations, staying with you to make sure your solution works long term and guaranteeing its success.