News: HFMA/Nuance study shows finance directors' perspective on CDI implementation

What’s the number one financial reason for CDI initiatives? Improving the accuracy of clinical documentation, according to “Clinical Documentation Meets Financial Performance,” a recent Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) study completed in collaboration with Nuance Communications, Inc.

To be fair, however, ICD-10-CM/PCS implementation and optimizing reimbursement ranked among survey respondents’ top priorities for their CDI teams, and decreasing denials ranked high in importance in terms of CDI opportunities.

Obstacles to implementation of CDI programs run the gamut from lack of physician support, disruption of physician workflows, and staffing and training requirements, the HFMA study shows. Respondents indicate there is a limited pool of well-qualified staffing candidates to choose from and a limited amount of time available to existing staff to meet the challenges and opportunities present.