All Entries Tagged With: "ACDIS"
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…
ACDIS CDI Work Group update: Group chosen, work to begin
Hi everyone, I thought I would take a moment to provide an update on an exciting new initiative going on with ACDIS: the CDI Work Group. This is a group that, beginning in the next few weeks, will start a series of bi-weekly meetings to discuss common obstacles and best practices in the field of clinical documentation. Its goal is to produce detailed surveys, benchmarks, and best practices to share with the membership.
I’m personally very excited about this group and strongly believe that the diverse expertise it brings to the table–and the work it ultimately produces–will be of immense value to our ACDIS members.
We had over 50 applicants for the CDI Work Group but in the end we had to narrow it down to 15. The CDI Work Group consists of the following members:
- Cheryl Ericson, MS, RN, Clinical Documentation Improvement Manager for The Medical University of South Carolina
- Lisa Peterson, BS, RHIA, Manager of the Medical Record Department for the University of Tennesee Medical Center
- Jennifer Woodworth, RN, BSN, Manager of Clinical Documentation for MultiCare Health System in Tacoma, WA
- Glenda Hebert, RN, BSN, CCM, Clinical Documentation Specialist for CHRISTUS Hosptial St. Elizabeth in Texas
- Susan Payne, RN, BSN, Manager of Case Management/Social Services for Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center in California
- Eileen Hickey, RHIA, Coordinator of Medical Record Services for Atlantic Health-Morristown Memorial Hospital in New Jersey
- Karen Frosch, CCS, Clinical Documentation Manager for Christiana Care in Delaware
- Lena Wilson, RHIA, CCS, Manager of HIM Operations/Clinical Documentation Improvement Program for Clarian Health in Indiana
- Thenia Nesbeth-Blades, RN, MSN, CDI Specialist for New York Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia
- Luanne Jennex, RN, CDI Specialist for Westchester Medical Center in New York
- Donald Butler, RN, BSN, Manager of Clinical Documentation for Pitt Country Memorial Hospital in North Carolina
- Sue Muse, RHIA, CDI Director for Precyse Solutions in Kentucky
- Marta Boyd, RN, Documentation Specialist for Valley Hospital and Medical Center in Washington
- Adelaide LaRosa, RN, Director of the Clinical Documentation Improvement Program for St. Francis Hospital in New York
- Pat Danks, CCS, CPC, CPC-H, CCDS, Coding Quality and Compliance Consultant for Kindred Healthcare
The group will be directed by three members of the ACDIS Advisory Board, including Shelia Bullock, Wendy DeVreugd, and Garri Garrison. In addition, I’ll be participating as well.
The CDI Work Group will be an ongoing project and will attempt to address many issues within the profession, starting with staffing considerations. Over time we may be looking to add members of different backgrounds and experience to participate, so stay tuned.
Thanks,
Brian
Next quarterly conference call to be held Thursday, August 27
The Association of Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists (ACDIS) has announced the date of its next quarterly conference call: Thursday, August 27 from 1-2 p.m. ET.
As a reminder, these calls are offered as a means for ACDIS members to network with one another and to discuss any clinical documentation improvement related issues. We have a few ACDIS Advisory Board members on the calls as well to help spark discussions.
We encourage your comments, thoughts, and questions during these calls. Additionally, if you have any suggestions for discussion that you would like to forward along to our advisory board, please e-mail me at the address below.
ACDIS members will recieve e-mail instructions in advance of the call with dial-in instructions.
Thanks,
Brian Murphy, ACDIS Director
ACDIS seeks volunteers for work group projects
Update: These work groups are no longer accepting applications.
ACDIS is forming two work groups and is looking for volunteers to take part in these important projects. Participation in both groups is limited. Please note, you MUST be an ACDIS member in good standing to participate. Committees include:
1. ACDIS 2010 Annual Conference Committee
As its name implies, the ACDIS 2010 Annual Conference Committee will help us plan and shape next year’s conference in Chicago. The committee will provide feedback on past conferences, help select sessions and speakers for 2010, help us decide on any other conference-related activities, and select our annual CDI Professional of the Year.
2. ACDIS CDI Work Group
The ACDIS CDI Work Group will meet on a regular basis to discuss best practices, definitions, and suggested benchmarks on a number of issues in the CDI profession. Its ultimate goal is to produce a series of best-practice articles available to the ACDIS membership.
Joining this group requires you to view its time commitment, objectives, and to fill out an application form. Please read and download the form here, fill out the necessary information, and e-mail it to ACDIS Director Brian Murphy at bmurphy@cdiassociation.com.
We will have a few members of the ACDIS Advisory Board participating on the ACDIS CDI Work Group as well.
Thanks, and I hope to hear from you on these two important projects.
Brian Murphy, CPC
Director
781-639-1872, ext. 3216
bmurphy@cdiassociation.com
CDI Journal posted on www.cdiassociation.com
The third quarter CDI Journal has been posted and is available for ACDIS members online at www.cdiassociation.com.
Here’s a list of what’s included inside the July edition:
Director’s note
ACDIS members make conference a success. What will happen in Chicago?
Case study
CDI Professional of the Year Beth Kennedy earns kudos. CDI Professional Achievement honorees noticed for teamwork and leadership skills.
Malnutrition documentation
Guest columnist Jon W. Arnott, MD, CMQ, explores how to capture severity of illness through malnutrition indicators; includes sample query form and clinical data set.
Query protocols ease compliance risk
Setting appropriate query standards can keep potentially harmful practices at bay.
Inflammatory bowel disease
Guest columnist Helen Walker, MD, writes about the tricks of capturing accurate language for a host of possible gastrointestinal problems; includes sample query.
CCDS designees named
ACDIS is proud to recognize and congratulate our first group of professionals to pass the Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist (CCDS) exam. They are now free to begin using the CCDS credential after their name.