Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) - Emergency Department

ChristianaCare • Wilmington, DE

2d

About The Position

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.

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.
• 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.

Nice To Haves

• Coding experience preferred.

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, nursing leadership, nursing staff and ancillary healthcare team, clerical support staff and provider liaisons.
• Provides clinical expertise to HIMS staff

Benefits

• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees