Meet a member: Foreign Medical Grad finds CDI home in California

Romerl “Cris” Gumayagay, CCDS, CCS, CDIP, knows a thing or two about having passion for CDI. The foreign medical graduate (FMG) has been involved in CDI for more than five years and holds a CDI position at the University of Southern California, Keck Medicine, in Los Angeles.

An active member of the California ACDIS chapter leadership team, Gumayagay has organized an annual CDI Week meet-and-greet in Los Angeles for the past four years. He is currently working on earning his master’s degree in business administration for healthcare management.

When he’s not busy with CDI, Gumayagay spends time at home in Arcadia with his family. He has two sons— Nix, 17, who is a college freshman, and Geo, 13, who is in eighth grade—and a 14-year-old daughter, JC, who is a high school sophomore. He also enjoys taking road trips and traveling.

CDI Journal: What did you do before entering CDI?
Gumayagay: Shortly after working with my physician friend’s private practice in Los Angeles, I moved to the hospital setting as an acute care hospital case manager, and eventually became a CDI specialist and CDI manager. However, my goal was to work in an academic medical center, so I took a position in healthcare compliance at the University of Southern California, overseeing healthcare compliance activities within the university, and stayed there for almost three years. I shifted back into CDI because it’s what I’m really passionate about.

CDI Journal: Why did you get into this line of work?
Gumayagay: I thought CDI would be the closest role to my medical profession, my experience as a physician when I lived in the Philippines. With CDI, I am able to work closely with physicians and other team players throughout the healthcare enterprise, while at the same time applying my clinical knowledge, making sure the patient’s true clinical picture is documented accurately in their medical records.

CDI Journal: What has been your biggest challenge?
Gumayagay: It’s a fact that the biggest challenge of our profession is to deal with difficult physicians. Getting physician support is critical for the program’s success. Establishing good rapport is important, and constantly educating the physicians and/or any midlevel medical provider is the key to obtaining that rapport.

CDI Journal: What has been your biggest reward?
Gumayagay: I’ve grown so much, professionally speaking, in this field, and that has been my biggest achievement and reward so far. Learning new things each day from my colleagues and working with a great team is also quite rewarding.

CDI Journal: How has the field changed since you began working in CDI?
Gumayagay: When I started in the fall of 2007, CDI programs were just focused on Medicare cases. That was the time MS-DRGs were rolled out. After that, programs evolved robustly to include reviews of all payers. CDI professionals today are now more involved in quality initiatives, and some facilities are also doing pediatric and outpatient case reviews.

CDI Journal: Where do you see CDI in the future?
Gumayagay: Putting my compliance hat back on, I foresee that someday, CDI specialists will be involved in research initiatives, especially in academic medical centers. Research documentation is quite complex, and bridging documentation gaps in that field might make a difference.

CDI Journal: Can you mention a few of the “gold nuggets” of information you’ve received from colleagues on “CDI Talk” or through ACDIS?
Gumayagay: There’s a ton—I couldn’t elaborate well enough how ACDIS has helped me become an efficient CDI professional since day one. The organization itself is amazing, not to mention the robust networking opportunities. The ACDIS website is a treasure. It’s a good resource to learn almost anything about CDI. Every CDI  specialist should have the link in their browser favorites bar—there’s just a lot of good stuff. Attending ACDIS conferences is a highlight, and highly recommended for all CDI professionals.

CDI Journal: What piece of advice would you offer to a new CDI specialist?
Gumayagay: Take one day at a time. There’s so much to learn when you’re new, and the best way to learn is to learn from experience. If you come to the field with a medical background, then you may have the clinical knowledge needed to perform well in the role, but having a good understanding of coding guidelines helps as well. I recommend that new CDI professionals read published practice briefs on managing physician queries, and use the ACDIS Code of Ethics as a guide.

Reach out to other experienced CDI specialists and pick their brains. CDI specialists love to share good and effective ideas. New CDI staff should consider joining and becoming active in their local chapter. If you can, attend the next annual ACDIS Conference, which will motivate you more for sure. Lastly, when you qualify, aim to get certified as a CCDS professional.

CDI Journal: If you could have any other job, what would it be?
Gumayagay: I may fit in medical research. Or manage a small business franchise—just a thought.

CDI Journal: What was your first job?
Gumayagay: In the Philippines, students didn’t work until they finished college or their degree. My first job wasn’t until I graduated from medical school. I remember moonlighting, as a starting physician, and being paid very little—much less than my allowance from my parents. I did that with various HMO-affiliated companies in urban Metro Manila. I also did a short stint as a vessel physician on board inter-island cruise ships. That was quite an experience.

CDI Journal: Tell us about a few of your favorite things.

• Vacation spots: San Diego for short road trips. Yosemite in the spring. Boston and New York City have been my frequent getaways in the past, and I want to go back soon.
• Hobby: I have a thing for collections. I started collecting coins and stamps as a kid, and had several completed albums. At present, I collect Starbucks collectible “city mugs.” I now have about 400 Starbucks city mugs to date, consisting of four different series from various cities/countries.
• Non-alcoholic beverage: Regular Coke, passion iced tea lemonade, or green tea Frapps
• Foods: Thai food is my current favorite.
• Activity: Just being with my family when I’m not working.