Data Integrity Specialist - HIM

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Remote Eligibility: Candidates must reside and work full-time in AR, KS, MO, OK, or TX before their first day of employment. Please do not apply if you reside outside these 5 states and will not relocate to one of the approved states listed.

**These positions are available in levels 1 or 2 depending on experience, education, and licenses/certifications**

General Description

The Data Integrity Specialist I is responsible for ensuring that data is accurate in the Master Patient Index (MPI) and consistent across OU Health system. This position communicates with multiple departments enterprise-wide to coordinate, correct and maintain accurate patient information and other required data for new and existing medical records. This individual is responsible for reviewing the EMR and medical records created. The Data Integrity Specialist also supports patient matching activities for population health as well as specific payor platforms. The Data Integrity Specialist I will identify and refer very complex discrepancies caused when two patients' information is combined under one MRN for resolution (also known as patient overlays),Resolution of urgent MPI overlay errors which potentially can impact patient care and safety. Data Integrity Specialist I participates in on-call coverage rotation for the Data Integrity team as listed in the Essential Responsibilities of this position.

Essential Job Duties

Responsibilities listed in this section are core to the position. Inability to perform these responsibilities, with or without an accommodation, may result in disqualification from the position.

• Researches, validates, and resolves patient identity discrepancies within the Master Patient Index (MPI), including duplicates, overlays, merges, and unmerges, using approved tools and standard operating procedures.
• Executes merge and non-merge decisions in accordance with documented logic and source-system requirements, ensuring accuracy across enterprise systems.
• Performs chart correction activities within the Epic environment in alignment with the Chart Correction Guide and established governance processes.
• Investigates and resolves non-emergent electronic medical record discrepancies through assigned work queues, reports, and remediation workflows.
• Identifies highly complex or high-risk identity issues and appropriately refers cases for escalation, interdisciplinary review, or leadership guidance.
• Coordinates and communicates effectively with clinical, registration, billing, IT, and ancillary departments to resolve data integrity issues and downstream impacts.
• Provides coverage for remediation workflows, on-call rotations, and team support functions as assigned to ensure continuity of operations and to ensure that on call coverage takes places on a rotational basis for coverage and response to Data Integrity Hotline inquiries and escalations 24 hours/day - 7 days/week.
• On-call responsibilities require independent assessment, prioritization, and resolution of high-risk issues that may pose immediate patient safety or operational impact
• Decisions made during on-call; coverage may directly affect clinical care delivery, system functionality, and regulatory compliance, necessitating advanced expertise and reliability.
• Educates frontline users on MPI best practices and chart correction processes to reduce repeat errors and improve data quality.
• Participates in interdisciplinary chart correction or data integrity workgroups as needed to support enterprise-wide consistency and decision making.
• Identifies trends, recurring issues, or improvement opportunities and communicates findings to leadership or the EMPI Manager
• Supports departmental projects, process improvements, and daily operations, performing additional duties as assigned.
• Maintains accurate documentation, productivity logs, and quality records in accordance with departmental standards and reporting requirements.
• Receives, triages, and responds to inquiries through the Data Integrity Hotline, making recommendations or routing issues as appropriate.
• Educates frontline users on MPI best practices and chart correction processes to reduce repeat errors and improve data quality.
• Participates in interdisciplinary chart correction or data integrity workgroups as needed to support enterprise-wide consistency and decision making.
• Identifies trends, recurring issues, or improvement opportunities and communicates findings to leadership or the EMPI Manager
• Supports departmental projects, process improvements, and daily operations, performing additional duties as assigned.
• Maintains accurate documentation, productivity logs, and quality records in accordance with departmental standards and reporting requirements.
• Receives, triages, and responds to inquiries through the Data Integrity Hotline, making recommendations or routing issues as appropriate.

• Professional Responsibility
  • Serves as a subject matter expert in patient identity integrity, exercising independent judgment in decisions that directly impact patient safety, clinical care, billing accuracy and regulatory compliance.
  • Performs high-risk data integrity decisions with awareness of downstream clinical, financial, legal, and accreditation implications across the enterprise.
  • Acts as a critical safeguard to prevent patient harm, inappropriate treatment, delayed care, or regulatory exposure resulting from inaccurate patient identification
• Professional Certification and Credentialing
  • This role requires specialized Health Information Management knowledge that extends beyond entry-level or clerical functions.
  • Professional certification (RHIT or RHIA) ensures demonstrated competency in patient identity management, data governance, regulatory standards, and ethical decision-making.
  • Certification supports the organization's commitment to patient safety, compliance with federal and accreditation requirements, and mitigation of organizational risk.
  • Organizational support for certification attainment and maintenance is justified due to the complexity, accountability, and independent judgment required by this role.
  • Decisions made during on-call; coverage may directly affect clinical care delivery, system functionality, and regulatory compliance, necessitating advanced expertise and reliability.
• Patient First
  • Ensures accurate patient identification and medical record integrity to support safe, high-quality patient care.
  • Proactively identifies and resolves MPI discrepancies, overlays, and chart correction issues that could impact patient safety, treatment, or outcomes.
  • Collaborates with clinical, registration, billing, and operational partners to resolve issues promptly and effectively.
  • Educates frontline users on proper chart correction processes to reduce repeat errors and improve workflows.
  • Maintains strict confidentiality and handles sensitive patient information with professionalism, discretion, and respect.
• High Reliability
  • Applies standard operating procedures, decision trees, and established workflows to reduce variation and prevent errors.
  • Demonstrates strong attention to detail and critical thinking when researching and resolving complex identity issues.
  • Identifies, escalates, and refers high-risk or complex discrepancies to appropriate leadership or interdisciplinary teams.
  • Participates in interdisciplinary chart correction discussions to support consistent, system-wide decision making.
  • Monitors trends, quality metrics, and productivity standards to support continuous improvement.
  • Adapts to changing workflows, priorities, and system enhancements while maintaining accuracy and reliability.
  • Supports a culture of accountability, learning, and error prevention in alignment with organizational safety goals.

General Job Duties

• Performs other duties as assigned

Minimum Requirements (Level 1)

Education: High School Diploma or GED required.

Experience:No experience required.

Certification/License/Registration: Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) required to be obtained within 9 months from start date.

Minimum Requirements (Level 2)

Education: Associates Degree in Health Information required.

Experience: At least 3 years experience in related job required.

Certification/License/Registration: Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) required.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Requires a professional level and is not limited to task based or transactional processing.
• Requires discretion, ethical judgment and consistent adherence to standardized decision-making frameworks.
• Requires high reliability and sound judgment.
• Understands pertinent regulatory guidelines such as Joint Commission, CMS and HIPAA.
• Excellent decision- making skills in carrying out duties in an ever-changing environment; ability to think outside the box when needed or advanced competency and reliability.
• Existing knowledge of the facility's clinical/operational processes, challenges and EPIC environment.
• Knowledgeable of current application information technologies and trends in healthcare.
• Demonstrates ability to independently make accurate decisions regarding patient record corrections/overlays/merges/unmerges utilizing the tools provided as well as consulting with leadership.
• Ability to be proactive in identifying improvement opportunities in workflow processes.
• Ability to understand the patient safety relationship between the patient's Medical Record Number and access to all clinical information.
• Ability to understand and apply rules of confidentiality.
• Ability to pay attention to detail.
• Experience with MPI strongly preferred.
• Proficient with the use of Microsoft Office tools

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