Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) - Emergency Department

Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) - Emergency Department

We are hiring a Clinical Nurse Specialist for our Emergency Departments for both our Wilmington Hospital in Delaware and our Union Hospital in Elkton, Maryland.

Responsible for supporting the Emergency Department's clinical documentation integrity through real-time chart audits, electronic health record (EHR) alignment, and active participation in quality and safety initiatives. Ensures that ED documentation meets regulatory requirements (e.g., CMS, Joint Commission), supports accurate coding, and reflects the true acuity and care delivered to ED patients.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Conduct concurrent and retrospective chart audits for ED encounters to identify documentation gaps and opportunities for improvement.

Collaborate with ED providers, advanced practice providers, and nursing staff to clarify documentation and ensure alignment with EHR templates and workflows.

Provide real-time feedback and education to ED providers, nurses and other key healthcare professionals regarding documentation best practices, regulatory changes, and quality/safety metrics.

Monitor and report on ED-specific quality indicators (e.g., sepsis bundle compliance, core measures, throughput metrics) and support initiatives to improve performance.

Ensure ED documentation supports accurate coding, billing, and risk adjustment, including proper capture of severity of illness and risk of mortality.

Participate in multidisciplinary ED quality and safety committees, contributing documentation expertise to root cause analyses and process improvement projects.

Maintain up-to-date knowledge of ED regulatory requirements and ensure documentation practices support compliance (e.g., EMTALA, CMS, Joint Commission).

Utilize EHR reporting tools and dashboards to track documentation trends and outcomes.

Support the implementation and optimization of ED-specific EHR templates and clinical decision support tools.

Maintain confidentiality and adhere to HIPAA and organizational privacy standards.

Attend coding/financial/CDI educational programs and regulatory educational programs as necessary to maintain a proficient knowledge base.

Educates providers, nursing and other key healthcare providers regarding best practice clinical documentation and the need for accurate and complete documentation in the health record.

Reviews and clarifies clinical issues in the health record with the coding professionals that would support an accurate DRG assignment, severity of illness, and/or risk of mortality.

Collaborative working relationship with physicians,nursingleadership,nursingstaff and ancillary healthcare team, clerical supportstaffand provider liaisons. Provides clinicalexpertiseto HIMS staff

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

-Bachelor's degree in nursing

-Registered RN licensed to practice in the State of DE required (Or compact state)

-Minimum of 3 years recent experience as an ED nurse required.

-Clinical Documentation Certification (CCDS) required within 1 year of eligibility.

-Completes a minimum of 8 continuing education credits (CEUs) per year in ---Clinical Documentation Improvement, quality, or regulatory topics.

-Coding experience preferred.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL, AND ABILITY REQUIREMENTS:

-In-depth knowledge of ED workflows, medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and disease processes.

-Knowledge of nursing principles, practices, and processes. Knowledge of CMS, Joint Commission, EMTALA, and external regulatory and quality requirements.

Hours: This is an exempt position working primarily weekday day shift with off shift coverage to meet the needs of the department.

Christiana Care Health System is an equal opportunity employer, firmly committed to prohibiting discrimination, whose staff is reflective of its community, and considers qualified applicants for open positions without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity or expression, age, veteran status, disability, pregnancy, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.

Post End Date

EEO Posting Statement

ChristianaCare offers a competitive suite of employee benefits to maximize the wellness of you and your family, including health insurance, paid time off, retirement, an employee assistance program. To learn more about our benefits for eligible positions visit https://careers.christianacare.org/benefits-compensation/