Physicians respond to hard numbers

As clinical documentation improvement (CDI) specialists know, achieving physician buy-in is critical to the success of any CDI program. Unfortunately, getting physicians to want to document better is far easier said than done.

After all, physicians aren't driven by the same monetary stakes as hospitals-they aren't reimbursed via DRG, but rather their own fee schedules. So, given that the hospital's financial well-being isn't the best motivational tool, how do you get physicians to improve their documentation practices?

The answer, says Colleen Garry, RN, BS, clinical documentation manager in the health information services department of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston, is to show them the data.

"Physicians, for the most part, are very data-driven people," Garry explains. "If you can present data to them, as far as their past performance, mock it up with before and after program comparisons, and can show trends and benchmark against other facilities, that is how you can speak to them."