Physician Advisors in CDI

Audio Conference on CD or Audio On-Demand

Sponsored by: The Association of Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists (ACDIS)

presented on April 14, 2009

A program for acute care hospital professionals

Many coding errors and reimbursement losses occur at the moment of treatment. Poor or unclear physician documentation can result in delays and inconsistencies in coding and billing, which ultimately leads to lost revenue. It can also negatively affect severity of illness and expected mortality rates. The best method to combat the problem is to create an effective clinical documentation improvement (CDI) team and appoint a credible physician advisor (PA) who can serve as a bridge between the CDI department and the physician staff. PAs can make an enormous difference in improving initial documentation and physician response rates to queries; however the position must be structured correctly in order for it to work well.

Everyone wins with timely, accurate physician documentation

Poor documentation not only affects a hospital's reimbursement, but it can take a toll on a physician's report card and a hospital quality scores. Avoid these problems by listening to HCPro's 90-minute audio conference, Physician Advisors in CDI: Take a Team Approach to Achieve Success and Credibility. Mark S. Michelman, MD, MBA, (Morton Plant Mease Health Care System) and Trey La Charité, MD (University of Tennessee Clinical Documentation Integrity Project) provide strategies to establish a successful CDI team structure, including using the PA position to achieve physician buy-in You will learn what types of expectations and limitations you should place on your PA, as well as methods to quantitatively measure the progress of your PA and CDI team.

Whether your facility has an underperforming CDI program, or is looking to implement a new one, you will leave this program with a blueprint of how to get the most accurate documentation out of your physicians through the successful use of a PA.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the conclusion of this program, you will be able to:

• Develop a functional, effective CDI/PA team
• Improve physician documentation for medical necessity and MS-DRGs by use of your CDI/PA team
• Get medical staff on board with CDI programs by using an effective, credible PA
• Identify tactics and incentives you can use to increase physician response to CDI/PA queries

TAKE A LOOK AT THE AGENDA:

• Finding the right PA for your CDI team
  • Benefits of a PA to a CDI program
  • Traits of the right candidate
  • Internal candidate vs. an external candidate
  • Experience vs. inexperience
  • Selecting a candidate based on program goals and objectives
• Developing the role of your CDI physician advisor
• Providing education of program objectives
• Setting expectations
• Creating a job description
• Understanding limitations of the position
• How to make your PA more effective with physician interactions
• Improving physician response rates to queries
• Providing PA to physician education
• Role of the PA in coping with reluctant physicians
• Expectations and measurable outcomes for your PA and CDI team
• Severity of illness
• Expected mortality rate
• CC/MCC capture rate
• Physician profiles
• Medical necessity of inpatient admissions
• Examples of an effective CDI/PA team
• Increased physician response rates
• Improved documentation and CC/MCC capture
• Teaming up for CDI department success
• Effective reporting structures
• Examples of an ineffective CDI/PA team
• Q & A session

BONUS TOOLS

In addition to the expertise and advice presented during this audio conference, you'll also receive a slide presentation of the program materials and valuable tools, takeaways, and materials to help you in your emergency planning process:

• Sample query forms
• Universal CDI pocket card listing common needs for improved documentation

These materials will be provided approximately four days prior to the program and again one day before the program, via e-mail with PDF links.

MEET THE SPEAKERS

Mark S. Michelman, MD, MBA, medical director of case management, quality management, utilization management, and physician coding advisor, Morton Plant Mease Health Care System, Clearwater, FL. Dr. Michelman is board certified in internal medicine, hematology, and quality assurance and utilization review. He works closely with the clinical documentation specialists and the evidence based medicine team at Morton Plant Mease, interfacing between them, the medical staff, and senior management.

Trey La Charité, MD, physician advisor, University of Tennessee Clinical Documentation Integrity Project. Knoxville, TN. Dr. La Charité is board certified in internal medicine and a practicing hospitalist. Prior to his current role, he was a hospitalist with Knoxville Inpatient Physicians and an Assistant Professor with the Department of Internal Medicine. Dr. La Charité also spent nearly four years at Baptist Health Systems in Knoxville, in the position of Physician Advisor to the Case Resource Management Department, where his efforts were focused on utilization review and length-of-stay reduction.

WHO SHOULD LISTEN?

Professionals in acute care hospitals, including the following titles and job descriptions:

• CDI manager
• CDI director
• HIM director
• DRG coordinator
• Physician champion/advisor to CDI
• Chief medical officer
• Case management director
• Utilization review professional
• Quality professional

AUDIO ON-DEMAND

In addition to the regular participation options for HCPro audio conferences—live, CD, or combination packages—we are pleased to offer another option, audio on-demand. Audio on-demand allows you to download the program and play it back at your convenience through your computer or MP3 player.

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