As a nurse, wouldn’t you love a supplemental job that allows you to work from home without seeing, touching, or even speaking to patients? HEDIS Abstraction might be for you!
On our Facebook group Remote Nursing Jobs, I am often asked about HEDIS abstraction and how nurses can find remote work in this lesser known specialty.
Remote HEDIS Abstraction was actually my very first remote nursing job and helped pave the way for my remote future. It can be a great way to break in to both the remote nursing field and also the data abstraction & quality improvement fields!
What is HEDIS?
HEDIS stands for the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set and it is a tool used every year by the majority of health plans to measure quality of care.
There are a plethora of quality measures in the areas of childhood immunizations, cancer screenings, diabetes care, hypertension control, behavioral health monitoring, and much more. Because of the wide variety of specialty areas, HEDIS Abstraction has something to offer for almost any nurse!
For more info on HEDIS, check out the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and the full list of 2020 HEDIS Measures.
What is HEDIS Data Abstraction?
Data abstraction is basically the process of reviewing a full story and pulling key information that can be transformed into usable data for quality monitoring, clinical research, and more.
HEDIS nurses review medical records and abstract information like blood pressure readings, dates of immunizations, and results of diabetic eye exams. This data is tracked on a larger scale to measure how well health plans and providers follow appropriate patient care guidelines, which in turn, indicates their overall quality.
When is HEDIS season?
The HEDIS quality improvement cycle is a year-round effort. HEDIS data abstraction is just one (significant) piece of that cycle that occurs from January to May.
During this time, nurses evaluate charts from the previous year (so, 2021 HEDIS nurses will be reviewing 2020 medical records—YIKES! What a year!). Therefore, it is a seasonal option for nurses and a great way to build supplemental cashflow for the summer vacation you will so desperately need after finishing up a busy HEDIS season!
After May, the HEDIS results are reviewed by auditors and, by the end of the year, the results are ready for reporting, just in time for the next HEDIS abstraction season to begin!
What is the pay for HEDIS abstraction?
Typically HEDIS Abstraction nurses will make anywhere from $25-$35+ per hour depending on experience and location.
Though HEDIS abstraction is seasonal and temporary, companies offer both full-time and part-time hours during this time. Some companies require the nurse to work during business hours (M-F 8-5) while others allow you to get your hours in any time by the end of the week. Chart volume can also vary from week-to-week and even morning-to-night, so the total estimated income can vary after accounting for all these factors.
Many nurses do HEDIS abstraction on top of their normal full-time jobs, while some only do HEDIS for half the year and then take the rest of the year off! Hey, if you can make that happen, why not?
Are all HEDIS Abstraction Jobs Remote?
No. In fact, many HEDIS positions are locally-based and require the nurse to travel to physician offices and review charts on-site. However, more and more companies are offering remote HEDIS abstraction opportunities where these medical records are uploaded to electronic portals that can be reviewed by nurses working remotely from home (in their pajamas)!
How do I become qualified for HEDIS abstraction?
Most nurses gain experience on the job. In addition to applying to any and every remote HEDIS Abstraction job you can find, my biggest advice for landing a remote role is to first look in your local community for HEDIS positions. After at least 1 year (“season”) of experience, you will be much more qualified for remote work in subsequent seasons.
Another thing you can do is review your job history. Have you worked in a physician office that complied with HEDIS guidelines? Are you knowledgeable of HEDIS measures? Have any of your job duties supported HEDIS compliance? Have you done any chart review or data abstraction outside of HEDIS? Tailor your resume to highlight these attributes. Most nurses are experienced at the bedside and this is reflected in almost every nursing resume. How can you show you have HEDIS-related experience?
Side note: if you are in need of a new nursing resume, check out The Resume RX! Amanda is an NP and Nursing Resume expert who offers beautiful resume templates, DIY resume revamp courses, and customized resume services, too!
Do HEDIS positions offer benefits?
Many HEDIS abstraction positions are contract, temporary, seasonal jobs that do not offer benefits even though you may be working full-time hours.
You may be considered a 1099 independent contractor, meaning you employ yourself and need to manage your own tax responsibility (taxes are not taken out of every paycheck). You should set aside about 30-40% of your paycheck for this and be sure to track your total seasonal income for reporting on your tax return.
Being a contractor is really not as intimidating as it sounds, especially with an accountant or income & tax tracking software to assist you. And, of course, an occasional call to the IRS… after a 2-hour hold (just kidding— the IRS website is EXTREMELY helpful and can mitigate the need for any calls).
Which Companies Hire Remote HEDIS Nurses?
And More!
When Should I Start Looking for HEDIS positions?
HEDIS Abstraction job postings start going up in early Fall, around mid-September with the peak time being October-November. Interviews are typically conducted in November-December with hiring decisions made by December-January for start dates of January-February (that was a mouthful).
Here are some common job titles you may see:
HEDIS Abstractor
HEDIS Abstraction Nurse
HEDIS Review Nurse
Abstraction Nurse
Quality Abstractor
Data Abstractor
HEDIS Specialist
You can find current Remote HEDIS positions on The Remote Nurse Job Board.
Want to be the first to see all the Remote HEDIS Nurse jobs scattered around the internet? Stop spending hours searching! I already have a system in place!
Join our Early Alert Jobs Membership where I find, organize, and share new remote nursing jobs directly to your inbox every weekday so you can get on with your dang life. All jobs are shared privately to members for 1 whole week before being shared out to the larger social media community. Plus, membership is month-to-month, meaning you can cancel any time if you land a job or just want to become your own job-hunting-ninja.
Takeaway
HEDIS abstraction can be a great option for nurses looking to make supplemental income while never stepping foot outside their house (no, really, HEDIS season can get so busy on top of your normal job that you may not leave the house for 5 months).
Make sure to figure out your local grocery delivery services ahead of time. Get comfortable with wearing the same disgusting clothes for days on end.
As a hermit who loves making money and neglects personal hygiene on the regular, I’m all in!
How about you?
Sadie Glisson BSN, RN, CTR is the Founder of ‘The Remote Nurse, ‘an online community and job board designed to connect Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, and Physician Assistants with remote, work-from-home telehealth jobs. Sadie has been working from home as a nurse for several years and now uses her expertise to help others break into the burgeoning field of telehealth to create more sustainable careers while advancing the next generation of healthcare.
