Revenue Cycle Staffing Analysis

How the calculation works

For each type of work, the tool divides your monthly volume by what one person can produce in a month. Monthly capacity is the productivity rate (charts per productive hour) times the productive hours in a month. A staffing buffer covers turnover and open positions. The gap is the difference between what you need and the full-time equivalents (FTEs) you have today.

2,080 hours isn't 2,080 productive hours

Most budgets assume 2,080 paid hours per person. After paid time off, holidays, meetings, education, provider queries and system downtime, real productive time is usually closer to 1,600–1,700 hours. Planning on 2,080 understates the staff you need by roughly 20%.

Why benchmarks vary

Published productivity figures differ by EHR platform, computer-assisted coding, case mix, documentation quality, coder experience and how work queues are designed — and many published figures predate ICD-10. That's why every reference here shows its source, year and range, and why the best baseline is your own team measured with a time study. See the methodology.

CDI staffing ratio

For inpatient CDI, the tool estimates staffing from review workload — initial reviews plus follow-up reviews — and shows the common ratio of one CDI specialist per about 1,500 in-scope annual discharges as a cross-check.

Your privacy

Enter summary numbers only — never patient information. The inputs you try and your results are saved anonymously to improve this tool and to prepare for any follow-up conversation you ask for. Contact details are stored only if you choose to give them. BW Interests does not sell this information. We don't store your IP address.