What is the best course of action for the clinical documentation integrity (CDI) physician advisor/champion?

The third quarter target concurrent physician query response rate for each physician in a hospital gastroenterology department was 80%. Nine physicians met or exceeded this metric; however, two physicians had third quarter concurrent physician query response rates of 19% and 64%.

What is the best course of action for the clinical documentation integrity (CDI) physician advisor/champion?
A . Schedule a group meeting with all physicians
B . Schedule individual meetings with each physician
C . Schedule individual meetings with each low-performing physician
D . Schedule a meeting with the chair of the gastroenterology department

View Answer

Answer: C

Explanation:

According to the ACDIS Practice Brief, a query escalation policy should describe how to handle situations in which an answer is not received, an inappropriate answer or comment is provided, etc. The escalation policy should address when the issue is brought to the physician advisor, the department director, or administration with defined actions as to the responsibilities at each level. The policies should reflect a method of response that can realistically occur for the organization1. In this case, since two physicians have significantly lower query response rates than the target, the CDI physician advisor/champion should schedule individual meetings with each low-performing physician to provide feedback, education, and support. A group meeting with all physicians may not be effective or efficient, as it may not address the specific barriers or challenges faced by the low-performing physicians. A meeting with the chair of the gastroenterology department may be helpful, but it may not be sufficient to resolve the issue without direct communication with the low-performing physicians.

References: CDI Week 2020 Q&A: CDI and key performance indicators1