News: CDI reduces lag between the time of service and the generation of a service charge

Dignity Health in California used a multipronged initiative to improve their revenue cycle, according to HealthLeaders Media. While most of the initiatives focused on backend billing and optimizing coding, the health system also employed CDI in its efforts on the front end.

Though most CDI professionals won’t be surprised in seeing CDI included in a revenue initiative, the target outcomes and the tactics for Dignity Health’s efforts may be less common. 

For instance, financial messaging took a front seat in physician engagement, HealthLeaders Media reported. “For them, it was a matter of compensation. For us, it was a matter of revenue recognition” Christopher McGoldrick, chief financial officer for Dignity Health, told HealthLeaders Media.

Dignity Health did use more traditional methods of education, though, in their process. For example, they employed a vendor to provide peer-to-peer education about coding patient encounters. Additionally, coders at Dignity Health presented case studies to the providers to show how the documentation could be improved to reflect more accurate patient pictures in the coding.

While tied to financial aims, the goal and result of Dignity Health’s CDI efforts were focused on reducing the lag between the time of service and the generation of a service charge. According to McGoldrick, the lag is down to 10 days from 22 days last March.

Editor’s note: This article was adapted from the original published by HealthLeaders Media on December 21.