CDI Specialist Recruiters
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This is what we do all day: recruit healthcare professionals.
Hire a CDI specialist who can turn incomplete inpatient documentation into clear, supportable physician documentation.
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
Need someone now? Call 305-306-4829.
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What happens next
- We review your role, responsibilities and location.
- Ivan or a senior team member will reach out soon.
- You meet a focused shortlist when qualified candidates fit the agreed search.
- Fees.
- No upfront fee. Pay only if you hire, under the signed agreement.
- Exclusivity.
- Set out in the signed client agreement.
- Confidentiality.
- We agree the brief before outreach. This is not a promise of absolute anonymity.
- No hire.
- No hire means no fee on standard searches.
- Clinical Documentation Specialist
- CDS
- CDI Nurse
What does an open seat cost you every week?
An open role costs you more than the recruiting fee. Someone covers the work, waits for care, or stops a service. We ask what is falling behind and who is carrying it. Use your own figures to compare the cost of waiting with the cost of hiring.
The seat is costing you every week.
Overtime, diverted patients, a stretched team and a schedule held together by favors.
The posting brought the wrong people.
Applicants arrive, but the person who has done this exact work is employed and not looking.
You are the one chasing.
Screening calls, no-shows and follow-ups land on the desk of someone with a facility to run.
What does this hire really come down to?
A CDI specialist reviews the inpatient record while the stay is active. The work is not transcription. This person compares clinical indicators, provider notes, treatment, and discharge documentation, then asks a compliant question when the record does not clearly support the reported condition.
The strongest candidate can explain why a query is needed before drafting it. We ask what indicators prompted the review, what documentation is missing, and whether the physician’s existing assessment already answers the issue. That separates sound clinical review from a search for extra diagnoses.
You also need judgment about timing and volume. A specialist may review a chart with respiratory failure, sepsis indicators, malnutrition, and several chronic conditions, but not every observation needs a query. We screen for people who can identify the issue with the clearest clinical and reporting impact while respecting the provider’s independent judgment.
What do we check before you see anyone?
Active CCDS or CDIP status. We verify the credential and ask how the candidate keeps current with documentation and coding guidance. Certification is valuable, but your own credentialing process confirms what you will accept for the role. Inpatient RN background.
- ICU and med/surg experience can build the clinical context needed to read changing assessments, laboratory trends, treatment plans, and discharge summaries. Where your position calls for an RN, we confirm active RN licensure.
- MS-DRG and APR-DRG query practice. We ask candidates to describe how documentation changes can affect grouping, severity, and risk reporting without treating the chart as a reimbursement exercise alone.
- Non-leading query construction. We ask for a hypothetical example involving conflicting indicators and documentation. The candidate should explain how they present relevant facts and reasonable response options without directing the provider to one answer.
- Provider communication. We ask how they respond when a physician declines a query or says the diagnosis is already clear. Look for a concise explanation tied to the record, not repeated messages that damage trust.
- Review ownership. Ask what happens after a query is answered, left unanswered, or changes the record. A capable specialist can describe follow-up, documentation review, and when an issue belongs with coding, quality, or leadership.
Where do we find them, and why would they move?
Many CDI candidates come from ICU or med/surg nursing. They may seek less physical work, more predictable hours, or a role centered on clinical analysis. Their bedside background can help them recognize when the record does not connect treatment to a documented diagnosis.
Case managers and clinically trained coders form another useful pool. Case managers may bring discharge and status-review context. Coders may bring classification knowledge, though you should test clinical judgment and provider-query experience rather than assume either background covers both.
Which mistakes stall the search?
A common mistake is choosing a candidate because they report a high query count. Ask how they judge whether a query is clinically supported and worth the provider’s time. Another is treating ICU experience as proof of CDI skill. A strong bedside nurse may still need to show compliant query writing and MS-DRG or APR-DRG knowledge.
Letting an interview stay theoretical. Use a hypothetical inpatient record and ask what the candidate would review, query, document, and leave alone.
How would we run the search for this opening?
Tell us which inpatient populations, service lines, and documentation problems need attention. During your interview, provide a hypothetical record with clinical indicators and incomplete provider language. We present screened candidates for permanent contingency placement. Clarify whether the hire will review concurrent charts, perform retrospective work, or do both.
Set the review scope
We use that detail when discussing relevant background with candidates.
Test a chart-review decision
Ask what the candidate would query, why the issue matters, and how they would word the question without leading the response.
Confirm the hiring terms
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
Where this search connects
Revenue Cycle, Reimbursement & HIM
SpecialtyHospitals & Health Systems
SettingPhysician Groups & Specialty Practices
SettingAmbulatory Surgery Centers & Surgical Hospitals
SettingHome Health & Hospice
SettingVP of Revenue Cycle
Related roleDirector of Revenue Cycle
Related roleDirector of Patient Financial Services (PFS / CBO)
Related roleDirector of Patient Access
Related roleNational median annual wage. SOC 29-1141, Registered Nurses.
BLS does not publish CDI Specialist separately. Registered Nurses is the closest published proxy, not an exact-title range. This role can require different credentials and duties from other workers in that occupation.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025-05, released 2026-05-15. View source. See the full guide.
Open roles
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How important is experience with our EHR?
EHR familiarity can shorten orientation, especially when the role uses specific work queues or query tools. It should not outweigh the ability to identify supportable documentation gaps and write compliant queries. Ask how the candidate learned a prior system and tracked unresolved reviews.
Should I hire an RN or a coder for CDI?
The answer depends on your review model and physician population. An RN may bring stronger clinical context, while a clinically trained coder may bring deeper classification knowledge. Ask each candidate to walk through the same hypothetical chart before deciding.
Is CCDS or CDIP certification mandatory?
That depends on your organization’s policy and the scope of the position. CCDS or CDIP can support a candidate’s CDI knowledge, but it does not replace your assessment of query practice, clinical reasoning, and provider communication.
What should we ask about physician resistance?
Ask for a hypothetical example of a declined query. The candidate should explain how they would reassess the record, clarify the purpose if appropriate, and avoid arguing for a diagnosis. You want a reviewer who protects the integrity of the record and the working relationship.
How do placement fees work?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement. Locum, travel, contract, and per diem placements into your own pool are available on request, with terms confirmed before anyone starts.
What should you send us about this role?
Send us the role, where the person will work and what needs to change with this hire. We will ask about the work, not just the title. Share any license or schedule limits that could rule someone out before we begin the search.
Tell us where documentation breaks down today, whether that is query quality, concurrent review, or provider response. We will screen CDI candidates against the work your team actually needs done.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What happens next
- We review your role, responsibilities and location.
- Ivan or a senior team member will reach out soon.
- You meet a focused shortlist when qualified candidates fit the agreed search.
- Fees.
- No upfront fee. Pay only if you hire, under the signed agreement.
- Exclusivity.
- Set out in the signed client agreement.
- Confidentiality.
- We agree the brief before outreach. This is not a promise of absolute anonymity.
- No hire.
- No hire means no fee on standard searches.
Which other positions in this family should you consider?
Director of Clinical Documentation Integrity (CDI) · Denials Management Manager
What do you get at each step of the search?
Our process for every search: calibrate the seat with you, map the market, research the real people, reach out to each one personally, qualify them in live conversation, then hand you a short list with a written brief on each person and support through the offer.
Search Calibration
You get an agreed brief: the work, reporting line, credentials, schedule, and offer you can make.
Market Mapping
You get a search aimed at relevant backgrounds, including people working now who have not applied.
Professional Contact Intelligence
We check appropriate ways to reach the people identified for your search. You do not have to chase them yourself.
Persistent Personalized Outreach
We explain your actual job and follow up with people who may consider a conversation.
Live Candidate Qualification
You see people we have spoken with about the work, interest, and practical fit, not an unread resume pile.
Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You get a written brief and support through interviews and offer discussions. You make the hiring decision.
How long will it take to see a short list?
That depends on the job, schedule, available people, and what your employer can offer. We discuss those constraints before outreach and update you as candidates respond. We do not promise a fixed shortlist date. We check the job brief before arranging interviews. Tell us which parts of the role you can change.
What if a candidate receives a counteroffer?
We ask why the person wants to move and discuss competing decisions before an offer. A counteroffer can still change their choice. Keep the duties and offer clear rather than assuming more money settles every concern. Tell us early if parts of your offer cannot change, so the candidate hears it from us first.
What are the replacement terms?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement. Ask us to walk through those terms before you sign, so you know how a replacement would work for your opening and who would start it.
What do we not do in a standard permanent search?
We do not bill standard contingency search by the hour or simply repost your job. Temporary coverage is a separate arrangement. Any retainer or different engagement must be agreed, not assumed. Tell us early if you need coverage while the permanent search runs.