Clinical Documentation Improvement Vendors Gaining Momentum

The clinical documentation improvement (CDI) vendor landscape has undergone significant changes over the last couple of years, including vendor acquisitions and technology developments. And these changes and other factors have had an impact on customer experience, according to a recent KLAS report.

For example, vendors like Iodine, Optum, and 3M have gained momentum over the past two years, the market research firm found based on interviews with users.

Providers using Iodine’s CDI solution told KLAS that new full CDI features, including artificial intelligence, broad reporting, and the ability to prioritize potentially problematic charts, have helped them to improve workflow efficiency, visibility, and other desired outcomes. This has led to a boost in market energy, KLAS reported.

Additionally, 3M’s strong technology offerings through its 360 Encompass CDI solution have increased the already high market energy for the solution among larger organizations. According to the report, the solution includes an APR-DRG methodology, reporting, quality indicators, worklist prioritization, and EHR integration.

Finally, Optum users frequently cited the solution’s ease of use and ability to drive financial outcomes, resulting in market momentum for the CDI vendor.

But overall, KLAS named Iodine as the top CDI vendor in 2021 based on an overall performance score of 92.1 points out of a total of 100 points, followed by ChartWise and Optum.

These three CDI vendors met or exceeded the market average of 87.6 points, whereas Nuance and 3M were slightly below market average.

KLAS reported that Iodine and ChartWise stood out for their high-quality training, which the firm said can lead to increased provider adoption of a CDI solution, greater ease of use, and faster outcomes.

Nuance also scored high on user training. However, the CDI vendor has had higher-than-average customer turnover caused partially by poor EHR integration and lack of expected functionality, KLAS reported.

Some users also said the vendor has been slow to introduce more advanced CDI functionality for its Clintegrity and newer CDE One solutions. Most notably, users said the solutions are missing improved artificial intelligence functionality.

Optum could also work on its service and support, the report suggested. While users are generally satisfied with the vendor, which is also one of the largest players in the CDI market, some felt there has been a decrease in support and proactive guidance following a recent reorganization of the company.

Optum has undergone significant change over the last couple of years, including engaging in several high-profile acquisitions. For example, the company acquired DaVita Medical Group in 20291, along with Vivify Health, Equian, Vim, and others that year.

Just recently, Optum also announced that it plans to acquire health IT company Change Healthcare in 2021 to bolster its healthcare analytics and technology offerings. The $13 billion deal is slated to close during the second half of the year.

There was mixed feedback on how this reorganization has impacted the vendor’s relationships with users.

Finally, the report showed that there is room for improvement with 3M’s customer experience even though users agreed that the vendor offers strong technology through 360 Encompass CDI. For example, users told KLAS that service and support continue to be a challenge and there have been issues getting technical help with upgrades.

Like Optum, users also felt 3M could be more proactive with helping users adopt and leverage technology and capability upgrades. Over half of users interviewed by KLAS also felt nickel-and-dimed for certain functions, such as service, system fixes, and upgrades.

Users, however, generally agreed that the CDI vendor’s new account management model has improved in the last year.

KLAS stated that “CDI solutions that fit within workflows and are easy to use help organizations prioritize chart review and achieve desired outcomes.”

But vendors should strive for a positive implementation and training experience to help organizations get to those desired outcomes, the report indicated.

Just recently, ChartWise’s CDI solution was named Best in KLAS by the market research firm, followed by Optum’s 360 CDI 3d product and Nuance’s CDI solution.

Iodine was notably not ranked as part of the report because it primarily provides a component solution, rather than a full suite of CDI capabilities. The vendor has started to offer a full suite solution, but most customers interviewed still use the component product.