Remote nursing jobs are becoming extremely popular thanks to a combination of COVID-19, burnout, lateral violence, PTSD, poor patient ratios, lack of PPE, mandatory overtime, cut benefits and raises….
Need I say more?
If you’re feeling desperate for a change but are wary to fully commit to leaving your comfortably uncomfortable soul-sucking job, HEDIS may be a good place to start.
Go from dreaming about working at home in your pajamas with hot coffee every day to actually experiencing it.
What is HEDIS?
Healthcare Effectiveness Data Information Set (HEDIS) is a performance improvement tool measuring individual providers, plans, and institutions on a specific set of indicators.
These indicators include 90 measures across 6 areas
- Effectiveness of Care.
- Access/Availability of Care.
- Experience of Care.
- Utilization and Risk Adjusted Utilization.
- Health Plan Descriptive Information.
- Measures Collected Using Electronic Clinical Data Systems
The specific measures change from year to year and include things like
- Breast and cervical cancer screening
- Controlling high blood pressure
- Childhood and adolescent immunizations
- Use of high dosage opioids
- Fall risk management
- Diabetic care
HEDIS Nurse Role
As a HEDIS nurse, your role is to abstract the requested data from medical records. This position can be remote or in-person and require travel. Most job postings want nurses with experience in HEDIS, but it is possible to get training without it (we all have to start somewhere.)
Compensation
According to Indeed, the average pay for HEDIS nurses is $32/hour, which is pretty nice depending upon where you live. Even when pay is slightly lower than you make at the bedside, consider the reduced stress on your body compared to bedside nursing. If you work from home you can hang out in your PJs for as long as you like, drink hot coffee, and accomplish a few things during a break.
Education & License Requirements
Many HEDIS roles are appropriate for all levels of nursing including LVN/LPN, RN, MSN, or NP. The minimum level of education is often listed as an associate’s degree.
I often get asked if it matters where you are licensed and if it needs to be the same state as a job. A job posting should list whether a specific state license is required for hire. Often as long as your license is in the state you currently live and practice that is sufficient.
Season and Schedule
You’ll hear reference to “HEDIS season” ( which makes me think of pumpkin spice lattes.) The role is seasonal and typically lasts from January to May. Nurses can find part or full-time positions, and a few highly ambitious nurses will work their full-time job and part-time HEDIS.
Double-dipping sounds like a crazy schedule but I see a few benefits in it
- You can try remote work without making a full commitment
- Knock out some large financial goals (debt payoff, emergency savings, house down payment)
Hiring for HEDIS typically starts in October and into November. Although, I have also seen postings from nurses who are late hires into January and the middle of the season. It’s a supply/demand issue and you just might get lucky if you miss out during initial hiring.
Contract Position
Most HEDIS nurse jobs are contracted roles, which means your employer will not take out taxes for you. Consult your CPA or tax attorney, but it is typically a recommendation that you hold at least 25% of each paycheck in a savings account to pay any tax liabilities come tax day.
I know how exciting it can be to see an amazing check with no taxes taken out, but please, I’m begging you, put aside the money before you spend it. Open a high yield savings account and let the money you’ve set aside for the government make a little interest for you.
Where do I find these positions?
Set up alerts on your favorite job boards. I like to set an alert for “HEDIS Nurse” on Indeed. My other favorite job sites are Flexjobs and Glassdoor.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I don’t have HEDIS nurse experience will paying for a training program or getting a certification help me?
I almost never recommend paying for out of pocket training. You’ll still be seen as inexperienced to the recruiter. Most companies that are willing to hire without experience have their own training programs.
I would recommend familiarizing yourself with the NCQA website and studying HEDIS measures. You can also highlight your knowledge on your resume and cover letter. This will show you’ve taken an active interest in the role.
If you are having trouble finding a remote position without experience, consider signing up for a PRN role in your city. After gaining experience it’ll be easier to break into a remote HEDIS job next season.
I only have clinical experience, what do I put on my resume?
Highlight any skills you’ve demonstrated for chart abstraction or reviews in your current and previous roles. Have you worked on any quality projects that required retrospective reviews of medical records? Talk about this on your resume. Almost all nurses have experience they can translate into a skill that is desirable for HEDIS.
If you are looking for extra assistance, I highly recommend checking out the Nurse Fern Resume Template for easy-to-use resume and cover letter templates created by a professional resume writer and remote nurse for future remote nurses.
I don’t see any HEDIS nurse jobs posted that I qualify for, any advice?
Keep looking and make sure you have your job board alerts set up. A role that’s perfect for you may pop up in the next five minutes, hour, or day, be prepared for when it does.
Final Thoughts
Nurses often work HEDIS yearly or find opportunities to convert their experience to a full-time work-from-home position. Sounds pretty cool, right?