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Dr. Christian Zouain completed medical school in the Dominican Republic in 2010. He moved to the U.S. and, while applying for U.S. residencies, he leveraged his medical background by working as a medical assistant and scribe, and then as a Medical Case Manager and Utilization Review Specialist at hospital in New York City. There he discovered the field of Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI).

He switched gears and obtained training in CDI and ICD-10 Coding. He used LinkedIn to network and discovered a hospital nearby looking to hire physician CDI specialists for their CDI program.

He was hired in 2015 and has worked in the field ever since. He has worked as a CDI (now Clinical Documentation Integrity) Specialist, Medical Reviewer, and Auditor, on-site and remotely, as an employee and as a self-employed freelancer. During this classic interview, Christian describes his journey, the attraction of working in the industry, and the resources to help physicians land their first CDI position.

You'll find links mentioned in the episode at nonclinicalphysicians.com/become-a-cdi-expert/