Clinical Documentation Improvement Physician

Houston Methodist is seeking a Clinical Documentation Improvement Physician (CDI Specialist) with Internal Medicine Hospitalist experience to enhance documentation excellence, clinical integrity, and accurate representation of patient acuity and complexity of care. This role involves close collaboration with hospitalists, care teams, coding, and quality leaders to ensure clinical documentation reflects the full scope of patient care delivered. The ideal candidate will be a respected physician advisor with strong clinical judgment, documentation expertise, and a collaborative, educator mindset, modeling Houston Methodist's I CARE values.

Practice Info

• Serve as a physician subject matter expert for clinical documentation improvement (CDI) initiatives across inpatient Internal Medicine and Hospitalist services.
• Partner with physician leaders and multidisciplinary teams to improve documentation impacting quality outcomes, patient safety, and publicly reported metrics.
• Act as a trusted advisor to physicians by fostering a respectful, collegial environment that supports continuous learning and improvement.
• Collaborate with clinical, operational, compliance, and revenue cycle stakeholders to ensure alignment and shared accountability.

Responsibilities

• Review medical records to ensure accurate, complete, and compliant clinical documentation that reflects severity of illness (SOI), risk of mortality (ROM), and medical decision-making.
• Provide peer-to-peer education to hospitalists and advanced practice providers on best practices in documentation, clinical specificity, and compliance.
• Collaborate with CDI specialists and coding teams to clarify clinical indicators, diagnoses, and procedures through clinically appropriate documentation queries.
• Support accurate documentation related to quality metrics, patient safety indicators, and value-based care initiatives.
• Conduct case reviews for utilization management.
• Participate in performance improvement initiatives that enhance care delivery, reduce documentation-related denials, and support organizational goals.
• Assist with onboarding and ongoing education of providers regarding EHR documentation standards, clinical specificity, and evolving regulatory requirements.

Shift & Schedule

• Work Shift: 1 - Day

Requirements

• MD or DO.
• Board Certified in Internal Medicine (or Board Eligible with intent to certify).
• Active Texas Medical License or eligibility for Texas licensure.
• Demonstrated Hospitalist experience in an acute care inpatient setting.
• Strong knowledge of inpatient clinical workflows, medical decision-making, and documentation standards.
• Preferred: Prior experience as a Physician Advisor, CDI Physician, or Clinical Documentation Specialist Physician.
• Preferred: Familiarity with severity of illness (SOI), risk of mortality (ROM), quality indicators, and value-based care measures.
• Preferred: Experience working in a large academic or integrated health system environment.
• Preferred: Demonstrated ability to lead physician-to-physician education and change management initiatives.