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Current Landscape of CDI Job Market

By Scott Entinger

In speaking to clinical documentation improvement (CDI) professionals on a daily basis, I have seen many trends develop over the past 10 years regarding where this job market has been and where it is going. Professionals I talk to give me their trust to discuss their current job situation and they put faith in me to give them the best advice when it comes to finding a new opportunity in the CDI field. With that thought in mind, I offer my two cents.

It seems as though the CDI job market is on an uptick. Last year, we seemed to be bogged down in a bit of a post-ICD-10 lull when it came to hiring and a lot of organizations were working with much smaller budgets than in years prior. Legislative uncertainly also played a key role in planning and spending for most organizations.

We have started to see the CDI contract/interim solution taper a bit and hospitals are hiring more full-time equivalents now than before. Despite a slower 2017, the one fact that has always been an issue is the shortage of good qualified CDI professionals. The demand for highly skilled and experienced CDI staff remains at an all-time high and the supply of these individuals still falls short.

Most CDI hiring managers are looking for a technical skill set, to be sure, but more times than not, the personality of the individual matters equally if not more so. The CDI profession is not for the faint of heart; one must possess the clinical and coding acumen to be relevant and converse on a collegial level with physicians, nursing staff, coders, and the C-suite.

Successful CDI professionals understand they need to stand and hold their ground when trying to get clarification on the cases they review. They need to be articulate and understand the nuances of communication—to challenge when necessary and calm when appropriate. One needs the investigative insight to identify opportunities and the fortitude to present them. And now more than ever, the ability to continually learn and educate oneself on the many changes that affect documentation almost daily is a must.

Recent changes in traditional CDI programs within hospitals are a big reason that programs across the country are expanding. The traditional CDI program that was more focused on reimbursement and information capture has given way to programs much larger in scope.

Hospital administrators are starting to truly understand the value that an effective and successful CDI program can have on multiple departments. CDI programs are working much more closely with quality personnel; CDI professionals are spending more time in each chart to truly get the most accurate and complete picture for each patient.

CDI is also expanding to the outpatient arena. This is a relatively new and undefined area for the CDI profession, but one that is evolving quickly; the demand for these professionals today is proof of that. Also contributing to the addition of CDI staff is the fact that many programs are now expanding to cover all units and all payers when possible. The need to standardize and streamline programs across multiple facilities in health systems that continually get bought or sold can also alter CDI staffing models. All of these factors have created a healthy environment for CDI job seekers.

The CDI profession is made up of individuals from many different backgrounds, disciplines, and environments. The ability to be flexible and adaptable to change and work with people of all levels and skill sets is of paramount importance if one is going to be successful going forward in the CDI profession.

For those who want to get into the CDI field, there are more resources than ever. We believe the CDI profession is as strong as it has ever been and believe it will continue to evolve just as the landscape of health care does.

For more information, you can contact us at info@cdisearchgroup.com or visit our website at https://cdisearchgroup.com.

— Scott Entinger is principal at CDI Search Group.