Physician Advisor Compensation

don.cdi.rn@gmail.comdon.cdi.rn@gmail.com
edited May 2016 in CDI Talk Archive
I am trying to get an idea of physician advisor / champion compensation (avenue & $).
We are looking closely at some changes in the arena of physician advisor.

For anyone willing to share, please feel free to either contact me directly or share with the community.

To help in establishing the context, please include:

1 -- Title
2 -- amount of time (hours per week) worked on CDI
3 -- Methodology of payment: salaried vs hourly vs other; some may not be directly compensated for the CDI work, ie, the physician is already employed by the organization and CDI is one of their duties (still would be helpful to know pay rate).
4 -- Rate of compensation ($)
5 -- specialty
6 -- active in clinical practice vs purely administrative

Thanks!!
Don

Donald A. Butler, RN, BSN
Manager, Clinical Documentation
Vidant Medical Center, Greenville NC
DButler@vidanthealth.com ( mailto:mDButler@vidanthealth.com )

Comments

  • wchenneywchenney
    edited May 2016
    We pay ours hourly - $100.00 per

    Wendy R. Chenney RN BSN
    Manager Clinical Documentation
    Parma Community General Hospital
    Office: (440) 743-4533
    Fax: (440) 743-4552
    Pager: (440) 675-5929
  • wchenneywchenney
    edited May 2016
    Does anyone have a bronchoscopy query form they would share??

    Wendy R. Chenney RN BSN
    Manager Clinical Documentation
    Parma Community General Hospital
    Office: (440) 743-4533
    Fax: (440) 743-4552
    Pager: (440) 675-5929
  • sharon.cooper@owensborohealth.orgsharon.cooper@owensborohealth.org
    edited May 2016
    $150 per hour here
  • kmaritankmaritan
    edited May 2016
    Curious about what you would need to query r/t a bronchoscopy?
  • ddouthitddouthit
    edited May 2016
    Are you wanting to query for site of biopsy?

    Dorie Douthit, RHIT,CCS
  • evanspx@sutterhealth.orgevanspx@sutterhealth.org
    A transbrochial biopsy is an O.R. procedure affecting DRG assignment - easily overlooked.

    Paul Evans, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CCDS
  • wchenneywchenney
    edited May 2016
    We need documented type of bronch/if bx were taken we need the site and
    instrument used

    Wendy R. Chenney RN BSN
    Manager Clinical Documentation
    Parma Community General Hospital
    Office: (440) 743-4533
    Fax: (440) 743-4552
    Pager: (440) 675-5929
  • don.cdi.rn@gmail.comdon.cdi.rn@gmail.com
    edited May 2016
    To share my own experience --
    In the past:

    1 -- Physician Advisor / DRG Advisor
    2 -- 2-4 hrs/week
    3 -- hourly
    4 -- $100
    5 -- Various, has included IM, hospitalist, cardiology, FP
    6 -- Active clinically

    Don
  • wchenneywchenney
    edited May 2016
    Absolutely!! We need it documented as transbronchial-lung bx and forceps or whatever is done.

    Wendy R. Chenney RN BSN
    Manager Clinical Documentation
    Parma Community General Hospital
    Office: (440) 743-4533
    Fax: (440) 743-4552
    Pager: (440) 675-5929
  • ddouthitddouthit
    edited May 2016
    Our OR uses a endoworks template to capture type of bronchoscopy and site biopsied. Do you think it would be possible to do physician education and ask them to include this information in their dictation? I would think this would be something you would want them to routinely capture as opposed to having to query for this information?

    Dorie Douthit, RHIT,CCS
  • evanspx@sutterhealth.orgevanspx@sutterhealth.org
    You may wish to devise a query form or a bronch worksheet with the various and compliant choices of biopsies and washings listed as responses - Coding Clinic has some excellent materials regarding bronchs with washings and Bx that would be pertinent and helpful.

    We have a worksheet and the MD will indicate the type and site of biopsy performed, if appropriate.

    Paul Evans, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CCDS
  • evanspx@sutterhealth.orgevanspx@sutterhealth.org
    Illustrates the issues inherent to 'cost-of-living' - our coding staff makes $100.00 in San Francisco. We have no formal MD advisor, so I can't provide any input on that regard.

    To keep this in perspective, I am trying to buy a home near San Francisco, but can't find one for less than $750,000.

    :) :)

    Paul Evans, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CCDS
  • evanspx@sutterhealth.orgevanspx@sutterhealth.org
    Clarification: Meant to type our coders make about $100,000 per year - or about $50.00 per hour. I have no idea what a physician advisor would charge in S.F. - (a lot).

    Paul Evans, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CCDS
  • don.cdi.rn@gmail.comdon.cdi.rn@gmail.com
    edited May 2016
    Very true!!

    I have 2 Uncles that have worked (both surgeons) in SF, both now retired. What they faced even 20 to 40 years ago as far as cost of living has only gotten worse... traffic... education

    But there are compensations -- SF and California are absolutely beautiful places to experience!

    Good luck with finding a home!!

    Don
  • ddouthitddouthit
    edited May 2016
    Paul,
    You about gave me a heart attack...was really excited...was getting ready to relocate the family to Cali. :)

    Dorie Douthit, RHIT,CCS
  • evanspx@sutterhealth.orgevanspx@sutterhealth.org
    Dorie: EVEN $200,000 will marginally place you into the middle class out here, unfortunately.

    I love my job, region, boss and colleagues, but the $$ of living is a complicating factor.

    Have a good weekend, all.

    Paul Evans, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CCDS
  • evanspx@sutterhealth.orgevanspx@sutterhealth.org
    Ying/Yang to all issues we face in life...beautiful region and great weather. Price is very high, however, in many ways, not just financial either.

    Paul Evans, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CCDS
  • paxnerospaxneros
    edited May 2016
    **picks jaw up off the floor**

    Norma Brunson, RHIA,CDIP,CCDS
  • mary.a.dunnmary.a.dunn
    edited May 2016
    So dare we ask what do nurses make in SF?

    Mary Dunn RN, BSN, MSM, CCDS
    Clinical Documentation Specialist
    Community Hospital
    Munster, Indiana
    219 513 2612
    mary.a.dunn@comhs.org
  • katysuegood@gmail.comkatysuegood@gmail.com
    edited May 2016
    I feel you Paul. I got a real estate flyer on my door recently. Nothing under 2 million. We are only here for a year so we are renting and our OLD/not well kept up colonial would likely go for ~700K and we pay almost 3k/mo to rent it. It's crazy!!

    Oh, and I'm in Bethesda now....

    Katy Good, RN, BSN, CCDS, CCS
    Clinical Documentation Program Coordinator
    AHIMA Approved ICD-10CM/PCS Trainer
    Flagstaff Medical Center
    Kathryn.Good@nahealth.com
    Cell: 928.814.9404
  • evanspx@sutterhealth.orgevanspx@sutterhealth.org
    edited May 2016
    I will defer that to an RN active in California.


    Paul Evans, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CCDS

    Manager, Regional Clinical Documentation & Coding Integrity
    633 Folsom St., 7th Floor, Office 7-044
    San Francisco, CA 94107
    Cell: 415.637.9002
    Fax: 415.600.1325
    Ofc: 415.600.3739
    evanspx@sutterhealth.org
  • evanspx@sutterhealth.orgevanspx@sutterhealth.org
    edited May 2016
    Guess I won't be relocating to Flagstaff, Katy? Sounds as unsustainable as California.

    On a related note, makes a case for the value a seasoned CDI professional can bring to any organization - reviewing our most recent pay surveys, some of us are not being paid enough to sustain a middle-class life style where we live and work. "just saying......"

    Paul Evans, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CCDS
  • katysuegood@gmail.comkatysuegood@gmail.com
    edited May 2016
    I'm not in flagstaff anymore. Flag is still expensive for the SW, but nothing like here. I am in Bethesda, MD.

    Katy Good, RN, BSN, CCDS, CCS
    Clinical Documentation Program Coordinator
    AHIMA Approved ICD-10CM/PCS Trainer
    Flagstaff Medical Center
    Kathryn.Good@nahealth.com
    Cell: 928.814.9404
  • evanspx@sutterhealth.orgevanspx@sutterhealth.org
    edited May 2016
    Thanks - Your signature block threw me - I thought you reside in Flagstaff, but this rules out Bethesda as well:)

    I shall move to 'Podunk" - but, there I will be pay $25,000 per annum.

    Paul Evans, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CCDS
  • don.cdi.rn@gmail.comdon.cdi.rn@gmail.com
    edited May 2016
    On the salary survey, it was notable to me the disconnect between what many are paid, and what the market will bear when someone goes out and looks!

    My impression from the survey as well as with a private conversation, recent CDS's placing into the Northeast and the Northwest / CA should expect $100,000.

    Still not competitive against the cost of living in many of those areas!!

    Compare that with the 'average' of around $70,000 --> if there are not other factors (and for many there are, such as grand-fathered pension plans, family, long established roots...), any program that does not pay attention to the salary for seasoned CDI professionals might be at significant risk.

    And yes, I've forwarded the salary survey to my executive leadership asking for consideration toward current pay scales.....2+ years ago resulted in about 3% mid year change (hoped for more, but happy to see even that much given the economy then).

    Don
  • evanspx@sutterhealth.orgevanspx@sutterhealth.org
    Don - valid points. I will close by noting the pay for consultants is significantly greater, if one can accept the travel requirement.

    We should all research the local cost-of-living as we consider changing jobs, too.

    Paul Evans, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CCDS
  • don.cdi.rn@gmail.comdon.cdi.rn@gmail.com
    edited May 2016
    Thank you to several direct to me as well as responses here in CDI Talk.
    Seems the trend is generally ball-parking toward Hospitalist salary rates ($100+/hr).

    There does not seem to be any shared examples for PA's that have a significant executive or senior leadership role -- we have a physician VP (UR/CM/CDI/Coding) that is full time. I suspect that the compensation for such a role is different. I am not aware of our VP's compensation range.

    Any additional comments are welcomed!

    Thanks,
    Don
Sign In or Register to comment.