CDI Solutions at Harmony Healthcare: Sandy Brewton
Harmony Healthcare provides healthcare organizations with the talent and resources needed to succeed today as well as the foresight to prepare for tomorrow’s challenges.
In this employee spotlight, we’re excited to highlight Sandy Brewton, Principal Consultant, Coding Solutions. We spoke with Sandy to share her advice for clients and CDI professionals, as well as insights from her career journey.
1. Tell us about your journey in healthcare.
I transitioned into healthcare after working in the legal field because I wanted to make a meaningful impact and had a deep interest in anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, and disease treatment. My career began in Health Information Management (HIM) as a medical transcriptionist and later expanded into patient care. While preparing for physician assistant school, two of my three young sons were diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. This life-changing experience led me to refocus on HIM, allowing me to care for my family while continuing to contribute to healthcare.
In 2004, I took my first coding class and immediately discovered my passion for the field. As I advanced into coding, auditing, documentation improvement, and education, I realized that HIM is an essential form of patient care—ensuring accuracy and integrity in health records directly impacts patient outcomes. Over the years, I’ve gained extensive experience working in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers, mastering the complexities of the revenue cycle. In 2014, I transitioned into consulting, where I continue to leverage my expertise to improve processes and support healthcare organizations.
2. What are you most proud of about your journey with Harmony Healthcare?
During my time at Harmony, I’ve had—and continue to have—the privilege of working alongside some of the most talented auditors and educators in the industry. Collaborating with such knowledgeable professionals has not only strengthened my expertise but also reinforced the importance of teamwork and continuous learning. I’m proud to be part of an organization that values excellence and fosters an environment where we can share insights, mentor others, and collectively raise the standard of healthcare documentation and compliance.
3. What is the biggest takeaway you’ve gained from your career thus far?
The main takeaway I’ve gained throughout my career is that patient advocacy extends beyond direct, hands-on care. I take pride in ensuring the accuracy of documentation and coding for every patient encounter, recognizing the critical role this plays in quality care and compliance. My goal is to instill this commitment in those I mentor, demonstrating that precision and integrity in health information reflect respect for both patients and providers.
4. What are the top CDI trends that you think people in the industry need to be prepared for?
One of the most significant areas of growth in Clinical Documentation Integrity (CDI) today is the expansion of the CDI specialist’s role beyond concurrent physician documentation improvement. CDI professionals are increasingly engaged to support quality of care initiatives and monitor key quality metrics, including Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs) and Hospital-Acquired Conditions (HACs). This evolution underscores the critical connection between accurate documentation and overall patient outcomes.
5. What advice would you give professionals in the CDI industry?
Working to improve physician documentation, writing queries, and assigning accurate diagnosis and procedure codes can feel overwhelming—especially for those new to CDI. There is a tremendous amount to learn, and it’s easy to lose sight of your primary role. Remember the key distinction between clinical documentation improvement and code assignment. The most important responsibility of a CDI professional is to ensure physician documentation accurately reflects the patient’s severity of illness, risk of mortality, and the care provided during hospitalization.
Don’t stress about assigning every code or expect to become an expert in diagnosis coding or ICD-10-PCS procedure coding. That level of detail is the domain of the coding team, who are specialists in taking the account to the finish line after discharge. Your focus should remain on improving documentation quality—because that’s where you make the greatest impact on patient care and organizational integrity.
6. Tell us a little about Sandy outside of your professional life. How do you spend your time outside of work?
I love to spend as much time outside as possible when I’m not working. We live in the Colorado countryside, where we get sunshine just about 365 days/year. My favorite activities are spending time outdoors with my husband, hiking, biking, camping, chilling on the deck and playing games, playing with our dogs, taking care of my 65+ chickens, and hanging out with our adult sons as often as possible. We’re also about to be grandparents for the first time in 2026, so we will add spending time with our grandchild to this list soon.
7. What’s a fun fact about Sandy that most people don’t know?
Most people don’t know that when I graduated high school, I auditioned for and was awarded a full-ride scholarship to the University of Arizona for voice.
8. Anything else you’d like to say, advice to give, etc?
The more open-minded, flexible, and curious you remain, the more rewarding your career in healthcare will be. CDI is a dynamic field—regulations change, technology evolves, and the scope of responsibilities continues to change. Approaching these changes with curiosity rather than resistance allows you to grow both professionally and personally. Flexibility helps you adapt to new workflows and expectations, while an open mind fosters collaboration and innovation. These qualities not only enrich your career but also position you as a trusted resource and leader in the ever-changing healthcare landscape.
Whether you’re looking to enhance your organization’s CDI operations or are looking for a new role, Harmony Healthcare can help. Reach out to us to see how we can support you.
