All Entries Tagged With: "ACDIS"
Hyatt rates lowered to $184, rooms sold out Friday and Saturday
We have some great news regarding room availability and rates. Conference rooms are very tight due to a huge citywide American Society of Clinical Oncology association meeting going on at the same time as ACDIS. After much wheeling, dealing, and negotiation, we have freed up a room block at the Hyatt Regency a lower rate than previously: Rooms can now be had for just $184/night. The Hyatt will honor this room rate for all rooms already booked under the ACDIS room block.
We currently have less than 200 rooms available at the Hyatt in our ACDIS room block for the nights of June 2 and 3, so please book your rooms as soon as possible. When you book please indicate that you are with ACDIS and mention HCPro. Unfortunately, the Hyatt is already sold out for the Friday and Saturday evening following the conference.
Free articles available on ACDIS Web site
Our members tell us over and over again how valuable the ACDIS Web site is. We think that sentiment holds true for non-members too. While ACDIS members receive a ton of extra information in the form of the CDI Journal, access to the Forms & Tools Library, surveys, benchmarking reports, and networking opportunities on CDI Talk, there’s also a ton of great information for non-members.
Sure, I admit it, we’re trying to tease you so that you will become an ACDIS member (think I should have typed that in ALL CAPS?). The way we see it you’ll enjoy all the free information you get here from the ACDIS Blog, the Articles of the Month, and Helpful Resources and get to wondering about all the other great information you’re missing by not being a member.
Now, don’t tell me you haven’t availed yourself of that great free stuff ACDIS has to offer! Here’s a sampling of items from the Helpful Resources section of www.cdiassociation.com that includes an archive of our featured Articles of the Month.
Don’t miss the January 2010 issue of the CDI Journal
It’s that time again folks! Yes, yes. Time for champagne toasts, life-changing resolutions, 24-hour Three Stooges marathons and… the first CDI Journal of 2010!
We’ve got some great information in this quarter’s issue including in-depth analysis of the latest RAC targets, tips for what makes a good CDI professional, a clinical corner regarding appropriate mortality documentation from Jon W. Arnott, MD, CMQ, tips to help you obtain clinical documentation specificity when it comes to MCCs… To say “and more” is a bit cliche, but what I’ve listed only gets us through half of the content in this edition of the newsletter.
The CDI Journal is available only online at the ACDIS Web site www.cdiassociation.com and is only available to ACDIS members. To become a member, contact ACDIS member relations specialist Susan Calabro at customerservice@cdiassociation.com, or by phone at 877/240-6586.
ACDIS sharing grows on ’social networks’
Join more than 120 fellow CDI professionals on Facebook and LinkedIn ACDIS groups.
Okay, okay. I know how inundated we are all feeling these days with technology. Our personal lives and our professional lives are simply steeped in it. E-mail, instant message, electronic queries, hybrid records… the list goes on and on.
Despite the learning curve there’s a number of benefits for each new technological advancement. At the end of the day, each new technology helps us live easier, more productive, and hopefully healthier, more enjoyable lives.
So, yes, I’m talking about “social networking.” Sure there’s something to be said for all the really cool online games you can play with your friends and neighbors on Facebook and all the interesting professional connections you can make on LinkedIn. I really want to tout the ease of sharing information that both social networking sites have.
If you read an interesting article about clinical documentation all you have to do is click on that little blue “F” or white and blue “LI” and it will bring you to a page where you can share it with your fellow CDI specialists. You can share news articles, post job openings, ask questions, offer tips, help guide new professionals, even post photographs from your facility’s CDI holiday party. Actually, now that I think of it, that’s a great idea! Please join ACDIS Facebook and post a group photograph during your next CDI professional development (aka holiday gathering) day. I’ll put them together and post a special page in the Journal.
More than 120 professionals now belong the ACDIS group on either sites. Don’t let technological hesitancy hold you back.
Agenda for week ending Nov. 20
Hi y ‘all (although I’m a New Englander I thought I’d practice my southern drawl. They tell me the plural of y’all is all y’all. )
Here’s a look at a few events coming up this week:
November 18:
Clinical documentation improvement specialists in Connecticut meet at the Hospital of Central Connecticut, Bradley Memorial Campus, at 9 a.m. Meeting frequency and format, as well as a casual sharing of common CDI problems and strategies for success, top the agenda. For information, contact MaryAnn Shanley.
November 19:
ACDIS quarterly conference call 2-3 p.m. EST. This is a members-only call and dial-in instructions were e-mailed out to our membership list. If you did not receive an e-mail notification, and you are an ACDIS member, please e-mail ACDIS member relations specialist Sue Calabro at customerservice@cdiassociation.com. Sue will provide you with the dial-in number and passcode.
November 20:
The Maryland CDS Workgroup meets. Contact Christine Mobley, RN, Director of Clinical Documentation, Prince George’s Hospital Center at 301/618 6507 or by e-mail at Christine.Mobley@dimensionshealth.org.
Surgical Complications: Clinical Documentation Improvement for Compliant Coding and Accurate Quality Measures, 1 p.m. For information, call toll free 800/650-6787 or e-mail customerservice@hcpro.com.
2010 ACDIS Conference agenda set
It’s been a real pleasure to be a part of the 2010 ACDIS Conference Committee, the 12-member volunteer group planning the annual conference behind the scenes, especially since we’ve completed most of the hard work and can move on to some of the more fun planning items.
The 2009 ACDIS Conference Committee did a great job. I'm looking forward to Chicago so I can capture a photo of my new 2010 committee friends.
ACDIS sent out the call for presentations shortly after the 2009 conference concluded. A record number of respondents offered a true plethora of programs to choose from so the group had some due diligence and research to do. From the list of nearly 40 speakers, each committee member picked his or her top 15 choices. ACDIS Director Brian Murphy compiled their responses and when the group reconvened everyone discussed the results.
The 2010 conference June 3-4 at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago will follow a similar format to previous years. It features two general sessions, a closing session question and answer panel, and 18 breakout programs for a total of 21 sessions. Highlights include programs on physician advisor strategies, risk adjustment for Medicare’s mortality and readmission indicators/AHRQ patient safety and inpatient quality indicators, performing CDI in outpatient ED setting, data mining, and tips to enhance the CDI program, among other topics.
The committee’s work continues, however. In the next few months we will explore opportunities for a poster session and develop ideas for some extracurricular fun. Sure a day of intensive learning is it’s own reward, and we will be in the beautiful Windy City, but you know what they say about all work and no play… so, stay tuned for more details on the way.
CDI takes center stage at forum in Chicago
Two ACDIS board members discuss CDI in Chicago this week.
Today and tomorrow the World Research Group holds its fourth annual Clinical Documentation Improvement & Coding Expo at the Hilton Suites in Chicago. We are extremely happy that ACDIS members will be well represented. The roster of presenters includes ACDIS Board Members Colleen Stukenberg, MSN, RN, CMSRN, CCDS, Clinical Documentation Management Professional at FHN Memorial Hospital in Freeport, IL, and Garri L. Garrison, RN, CPC, CMC, CPUR, director of Acute Care Services at 3M health information systems in Atlanta, GA.
Stukenberg will present “A CDI Orientation Process: A Checklist to Get Started.” Even when a healthcare organization hires consultants to start the CDI program staffing turnover and program growth requires ongoing training, she says. Her presentation later today explores the scope of a CDI orientation process. Tomorrow, Stukenberg moderates a panel discussion “How to Bridge the Gap Between Physicians, CDI Specialists, and Coders.” The discussion will have equal representation from each profession, naturally. Topics on the agenda include problematic terminology, evidence-based principles, common pitfalls in physician documentation, and clinical indicators in the medical record, among other items.
Before I stop touting Stukenberg’s expertise I want to just take a moment to laud her new book “Successful Collaboration in Healthcare: A Guide for Physicians, Nurses & Clinical Documentation Specialists,” which ties in quite nicely to her prestation tomorrow. The book describes ways in which nurses and physicians can collaborate to enhance patient safety and quality, and how this collaboration can have a positive effect on the financial aspects of an organization, Stukenberg says.
Garrison moderates a panel of professionals tomorrow afternoon to discuss “The Metrics for Evaluating a CDI Program.” Many ACDIS members say that once their CDI programs have been in place for a while, they need to ramp up their benchmarking and data collection. Garrison’s presentation explores how three different facilities tracked their CDI outcomes based on financial, quality, and other ratios.
We are so proud to have such talented board members and know that many ACDIS members also do their part to demonstrate the importance of clinical documentation improvement in their own communities. If you are an ACDIS member and have an upcoming speaking engagement we’d like to hear about it. Let us know by posting a comment here on the ACDIS Blog, on our LinkedIn or Facebook pages, or by shooting us an e-mail.
AHIMA calls for CDI presentations
Could CDI be becoming a healthcare buzz word? It seems like everywhere I looked over the past few weeks healthcare documentation improvement specialists played a prominent role.
Remember I mentioned the Health Care Compliance Association’s upcoming CDI presentation at its Physician Practice Compliance Conference in Philadelphia? This week I heard about American Health Information Management Association’s (AHIMA) call for speakers for its June 2010 conference.
The AHIMA program focuses on CDI and coding and takes place in San Antonio, TX. Over the two-day speakers are expected to talk about CDI program challenges and best practices and explore the difficulties of communicating across CDI and HIM channels. According to the AHIMA release, the deadline for presentation proposals is Friday, October 23. For information, contact Kathy DeVault, RHIA, CCS, manager of professional resources at AHIMA at Kathy.DeVault@ahima.org.
Don’t worry the AHIMA program doesn’t overlap with the ACDIS 2010 annual show in Chicago — that’s June 3-4 (or 2-5 if you plan to attend the pre conference and take the CCDS exam). And not to repeat myself, but how great is it to watch the documentation improvement profession gain the credence it deserves from its sister organizations. Communicating a consistent message at a variety of professional organizations can help CDI illustrate its value to rest of the healthcare system in America.
2010 conference committee holds first meeting
The 2010 ACDIS Conference Committee held its first meeting on August 13, 2009. The committee includes:
- Sandy Artusi
- Margi Brown
Discussions begin for 2010 conference.
- Ann-Marie Carducci
- Sharon Cole
- Lynn Edwards
- Frances Frank
- Gail Gall
- Kara Masucci
- Vicki McMahon
- Lois Rubin
- Teri Sholder
- Arinda Skinner-Kennedy
At the first meeting participants reviewed their likes and dislikes of the 2009 conference and brainstormed ideas for 2010. The committee greatly enjoyed keynote speaker, Dr. Carl Hammerschlag and supported the inclusion of a general healthcare motivational speaker for the 2010 program even if he or she does not specifically address clinical documentation improvement.
The group also discussed the format of the 2010 conference. As many will remember the 2009 program offered three different breakout sessions per time block except for the general session held day. The conference committee supported this concept but will examine whether these sessions would better be tracked as specific to job title, theme, or level of CDI experience.
We’ll keep you updated in future posts regarding potential topic ideas and additional conference items.
Did you know: CDI Strategies is free
Time to toot the ACDIS horn again. (I’m getting good enough at it that I might be able to play “Row,
This is probably the only horn I'll ever know how to play. I wonder how many notes I can get it to make?
Row, Row Your Boat,” but I’ll never be good enough to break out the French horn for anything Mozart might have written. )
Blog readers who are also ACDIS members already know about the multiple opportunities ACDIS provides to glean and share information. However, many readers who are not yet members may not be aware of the variety of free content we offer particularly in the bi-weekly e-newsletter CDI Strategies.
CDI Strategies offers the latest CDI-related news and regulatory updates, tips for day-to-day program improvement and problem-solving, questions and answers from our advisory panel, book excerpts, and more. It comes to your e-mail inbox and is also archived on the Web site www.cdiassociation.com.
And while I reserve more entertaining, creative musings (what type of horn would one play if they were to tout their own tootings anyway?) to the ACDIS Blog, the CDI Strategies e-newsletter contains a wealth of information that serious CDI specialists need to maintain an effective program.
Okay, putting the horn away for now. Maybe I should try the cowbell next time. Everyone needs more cowbell…