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New groups, meetings promote CDI efforts in February

The Las Vegas, NV chapter at its first meeting in June 2011. Pictured above from left to right: Sharon Yens (Centennial Hills Hospital), Kathy Bird (Southern Hills Hospital), Karen Thorsteinson (St Rose Hospital – De Lima), Kathy Hurst (Kindred Hospital – Flamingo), Lori Mejia (Southwest Medical Associates), Sherry Siewers (DDCM Kindred Desert District), Sherry Shariff Hall (St Rose Hospital – Siena), and Marissa Schanbacher (Mountain View Hospital). Taking the photo: Ailsa Kompare (Kindred Las Vegas Market).

New networking groups

Philadelphia: The Philadelphia CDI network has new energy and is planning its first meeting for 2012. For information, contact Judi Bates at Lourdes Health System at 856/757-3161 or e-mail at BatesJ@lourdesnet.org. Or call Debby Dallen at Albert Einstein Medical Center at 856/786-0897 or e-mail dallend@einstein.edu.

Rochester, NY: Ruth Pfrengle, BSN, RN, director of utilization management at the University of Rochester Medical Center, has volunteered to help facilitate networking opportunities in the region. For information, contact 585/273-3816 or e-mail ruth_pfrengle@urmc.rochester.edu.

Texas: Barbara Presley, RN, CDI specialist at the University Medical Center Brackenridge in Austin has volunteered to help professionals from the San Antonio/Austin area to network. For information, contact her at 512/324-7679 or e-mail baPresley@seton.org.

Vermont: Suzanne Schultz, RN, BSN, CCM, CCDS, CDI specialist at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, has volunteered to connect CDI professionals in the state. For information, contact her at 802/847-2140 or e-mail suzanne.schultz@vtmednet.org.

Washington: The Evergreen ACDIS Chapter of Northwest Washington seeks new volunteers to help lead the group in 2012. For information, contact Jennifer Woodworth, RN, BSN, CCDS, director of CDI at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle by phone at 206/215-2073 or e-mail Jennifer.Woodworth@swedish.org. Or contact Cathie Murphree, LPN, CCDS, Documentation Improvement Specialist/HIM, at St. Joseph Medical Center, in Bellingham, at 360/788-6300 ext. 3429 or e-mail CMurphree@peacehealth.org.

West Virginia: Sheila Harrison, RN, BSN, CDI specialist at the Charleston Area Medical Center, Teays Valley Division, has volunteered to help get networking efforts started in the state. For information, contact 304/389-0689 or e-mail Sheila.Harrison@camc.org.

February meetings

New Hampshire: The next meeting will be held Wednesday, February 8, 1-2:30 p.m., at Elliot Hospital in Manchester. For information, contact Carla A. Heyn at 603/663-3452 or by e-mail at cheyn@Elliot-HS.org

Albany, NY: The Albany (NY) ACDIS Regional Chapter holds its next meeting Wednesday, February 8, 2-4 p.m., at St. Peter’s Hospital. The group will discuss documentation regarding acute renal failure. For information, contact Lois Rubin at 518/525-1081 or e-mail lrubin@sphcs.org.

Virginia: The next Virginia ACDIS Chapter meeting will be held Saturday, February 11, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 1222 Jefferson Park Ave., in Charlottesville. Each attending facility will present/discuss what works well in their facility and what needs improvements. There will also be a teleconference/webinar presentation by ACDIS Advisory Board member Glenn Krauss.

Continuing its “ACDIS gives back” tradition, UVA has decided to donate to The HAVEN, a safe and welcoming place for the homeless in our community. Donations can range from warm items such as gloves, hats, or scarves to nonperishable food. A complete list can be obtained at www.thehavenatfirstandmarket.org/give/. For information, contact Sequana Webb 434/760-4491 or e-mail sck8u@virginia.edu.

Wisconsin: Will hold its winter meeting Saturday, February 18, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Wheaton Franciscan Health Care, in Wauwatosa. Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. CCDS and AHIMA credits will be offered. The meeting agenda includes:

“A Clinical Perspective on Chart Review and Diagnoses Assignment: A QIO Reviewer’s Perspective,” by Jessica Whitley, MD, MBA, hospitalist and QIO reviewer.
“CDI’s Impact on the Recovery Audit Contractor Initiative: Capitalizing on our Strengths to Minimize Hospital Financial Exposure,” by Diane Draize, RN, CPUR, CCDS, CDI specialist at Ministry Health, and Joan Korn, BSN, RN, CDI specialist at Wheaton Franciscan Health Care.
“What You Don’t Know About Principles of Multiple Significant Trauma is What You Don’t Know!,” by Kathy Thomas, RN, CDI specialist at Wheaton Franciscan Health Care, and Renee Hedtcke, RN, CCDS, at Aurora Summit Medical Center
Open Discussion/Roundtable: Opportunities for CDI Initiatives in the Ambulatory Care environment as well as inpatient setting beyond reimbursement

Deadline to register is Sunday, February 12. Registration is $25 for WI ACDIS members; $50 non-members.

For information, contact Kathy Thomas, RN, at Wheaton Franciscan Health Care, kathleen.Thomas@wfhc.org; Renee Hedtcke, RN, CCDS, at Aurora Health Care, renee.hedtcke@aurora.org; Diane Draize from Ministry Door County Medical Center Sturgeon Bay at diane.draize@ministryhealth.org, Joan Korn from Wheaton Franciscan St. Francis in Milwaukee at joan.korn@wfhc.org, or Glenn Krauss, independent consultant, glennkrauss@earthlink.net.

N. Illinois: The next meeting will take place on Thursday, February 16, from noon to 3:30 p.m., at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights. The agenda includes:

Participation in the ACDIS Quarterly Conference Call
Presentation by Maralee Gray, BSN, CDI specialist at Rockford Memorial Hospital regarding “CDIS and ICD-10 Crossing Over: How to Safely Make it to the Other Side”
Presentation by Karolee Fill, MSN, APN-CNP, at Northwest Community Hospital regarding “Basic Review of Echocardiography in the Heart Failure population”

For information, contact Nancy R. Ignatowicz at 815/806-2322 or e-mail nancy.ignatowicz@provena.org. Or contact Colleen Stukenberg MSN, RN, CMSRN, CCDS, at 815/599-6820, or e-mail CStukenberg@fhn.org.

California: The California ACDIS Chapter holds its regular meeting the fourth Wednesday of the month, February 22, 9-10 a.m. Those interested in volunteering to help lead the chapter are invited to step forward at this time. For information, contact Dexter D’Costa at 573/529-1791 or e-mail dr_dexterdcosta@yahoo.com.

Maine: The next meeting will be held Thursday, February 23, noon to 4 p.m., at Mid-Coast Hospital in Brunswick. For information, contact Cathy Seluke at 207/872-1796 or e-mail Cathy.Seluke@mainegeneral.org.

New England: The next New England Regional ACDIS Chapter meeting will be held Tuesday, February 28, 2-4 p.m., at Tufts Medical Center, Stearns Auditorium. Janet Cavagnac from Baystate will review ICD-10 coding in 3M software. Participants should bring a 3M equipped laptop if possible. Volunteers are needed to schedule future meeting and help lead the group. For information, contact Kelley Sears at 508/954-7432 or e-mail Kelley.Sears@steward.org.

Georgia (Southeast): The next Southeast ACDIS meeting will be Wednesday, February 29, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Parkridge Medical Center in Chattanooga, TN. For information, contact Bonnie I. Epps at 404/712-4550 or e-mail Bonnie.Epps@emoryhealthcare.org. Or visit the Southeast Regional ACDIS Chapter Facebook page for meeting announcements and other information.

Upcoming events

New Jersey: The next NJ meeting will take place Friday, March 2. For information, contact Deborah Gardner-Brown at 732/238-4511, or e-mail Deborah@RRA-INC.com.

Tennessee: The next TN-ACDIS meeting will be held at Baptist Hospital in Nashville on Friday, March 16, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For information, contact Sherri Clark at 865/804-6561 or e-mail SClark@mc.utmck.edu.

Long Island, NY: St. Francis Hospital hosts the next networking meeting on Tuesday, March 6, 3-5 p.m. For information, contact Adelaide M. La Rosa at 516/562-6229 or e-mail Adelaide.LaRosa@chsli.org.

Mid-West Regional: The Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota state ACDIS networks’ mid-west regional conference, has been postponed.

Meeting minutes

The following minutes and/or presentations have been made available from the following chapters:

February 01, 2012 | Melissa Varnavas | Comments 1

Looking for your holiday wishes to come true? The present of CDI education is waiting to be unwrapped during December's collection of local networking meetings.

Minnesota

The next meeting of the Minnesota group will be a 3M sponsored event Friday, Dec. 16, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the 3M Innovation Center in Maplewood. For information, contact Mark LeBlanc at Mark.LeBlanc@ParkNicollet.com.

Northern Ohio

The next meeting of the Northern Ohio ACDIS Chapter takes place Thursday, Dec. 8, at Mercy Medical Center in Canton. Steven Robinson, MS, PA-O, RN, CPUR, senior director of CDI for Maxim Health Information Services will discuss the following CMS mandates and concurrent review opportunities:

CMS current and upcoming mandates
The importance of documentation in the medical record
The typical CDI program
MS-DRG IPPS (CC/MCC lists)
POA coding
RAC
JCAHO quality core measures

For information, contact Kristine Cilona, RN, at Kristine.Cilona@cantonmercy.org.

Southeastern (Georgia)

The next Southeastern Chapter of ACDIS meets Friday, Dec. 9, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. The agenda includes:

SECACDIS Chapter meeting
ICD-10 coding for orthopedics
E/M coding
Lunch and networking
IPPS Final Rule updates applicable to CDI

For information, visit the group’s Facebook page or e-mail james.doster@emoryhealthcare.org.

Central Indiana

The deadline for leadership nominations are due Friday, Dec. 9. Please take the opportunity to nominate a colleague via e-mail to Carla Payne at cpayne@ecommunity.com. Candidate biographies/forms are due Dec. 12 and membership voting will take place from Dec. 19 through Jan. 9, 2012. There are currently 68 members in the chapter directory. Please take the time to participate by submitting your nominations today and make this a meaningful election of our chapter leadership.

The next Central Indiana ACDIS Chapter meeting takes place Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012. For information, contact Susan Bradford, RN, BSN, by phone at 317/776-7285 or by e-mail at sbradford@riverview.org.

Maryland

The next Maryland Hospital Association Clinical Documentation Improvement Workgroup meets Friday, Dec. 16, from 12:30-1:30 p.m., for a holiday pot-luck lunch followed by its regular meeting from 1:30-3 p.m., at the Maryland Hospital Association Headquarters in Elkridge. For information, Contact Christine Mobley, RN, director of clinical documentation at Prince George’s Hospital Center, at christine.Mobley@dimensionshealth.org, or James Nagel at jen.01@ex.uchs.org.

Click here to read the minutes from the previous meeting.

Northern Illinois

The next Northern Illinois CDI meeting is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012. For information, contact Nancy R. Ignatowicz, at 815/806-2322 or by e-mail nancy.ignatowicz@provena.org. Or contact Colleen Stukenberg at 815/599-6820 or CStukenberg@fhn.org.

Maine

The Maine ACDIS Local Chapter will meet at Midcoast Hospital on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012. For information, contact Theresa Davis at 207/735-8340 or tdavis@emh.org.

Nevada

The Southern Nevada Association of Clinical Documentation Specialists holds its next meeting Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012. Guest speaker former ACDIS Advisory Board member Wendy DeVreugd will discuss “How to measure the success of your CDI program.” RSVP to Ailsa Kompare by Jan. 11, 2012 at 702/343-7232 or ailsa.kompare@kindredhealthcare.com.

California

The next California ACDIS webinar featuring a presentation regarding the role of CDI in RAC reviews and audit prevention will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 9-10 a.m., PST. For information, contact Dexter D’Costa, MBBS, MHA, at Dexter.G.Dcosta@kp.org.

Other chapter news

The North Carolina ACDIS chapter now has a web site. Visit http://ncacdis.org/ to see photos from its November meeting and to learn more about recent events and initiatives. For information, contact Leah Taylor at 704/878-7436, or e-mail Leah.Taylor@iredellmemorial.org.

Editor’s Note: If you are interested in joining an existing local chapter please visit the Local Chapter page on the ACDIS web site. If you do not see a group listed for your area please e-mail ACDIS Associate Director Melissa Varnavas at mvarnavas@cdiassociation.com

December 07, 2011 | Melissa Varnavas | Comments 1

August meetings have agendas full of education and enrichment

North Carolina

The NC ACDIS Chapter meets Friday, Aug. 5, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Sapona Country Club, in Lexington. The agenda includes:

8-9 a.m.: Registration and reception with continental breakfast
9-10:30 a.m.: Keynote Speaker-Steve Robinson, MS, RN, PA, CPUR, Sr. Director, Clinical Documentation Improvement Solutions at Maxim Health Information Services “Current/Upcoming CMS Mandates and Concurrent Review.” Robinson will discuss:
- Appropriate MS-DRG assignment
- RAC preparedness
- POA coding
- Core Measures Coordination
- 2012 IPPS proposal and pending final rule
- ICD-10 impact on CDI
10:45-11:30 a.m.: NC ACDIS business meeting
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Lunch
12:30-2 p.m.: Closing Speaker-Nicole Greer, PPCC, founder of Vibrant Coaching and lead trainer for Laurie Beth Jones Inc. National Training Team “Engaging the Elements of Success: A Highly Intuitive Tool for Communication, Growth, and Success!”

Attendees are asked to register by Friday, July 29. Cost is $25 per person and includes breakfast, lunch, CEUs, and door prizes. For information, contact Leah Taylor via e-mail at Leah.Taylor@iredellmemorial.org or by phone at 704/878-7436; or Brenda Harris via e-mail at Brenda.Harris@carolinashealthcare.org or by phone at 704/863-6378; or visit http://ncacdis.org/

NC ACDIS members are asked to participate in a short, three question survey prior to the meeting.

Central Ohio

The ACDIS Central Ohio Chapter meets Thursday, Aug. 18, 1:30-3 p.m., at the James Cancer Hospital. The topic for discussion will be ICD-10 and CDI. RSVP to sheri.blanchard@osumc.edu.

NY/PA

NY/PA Regional Network meets at The Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, PA, in its Patterson Auditorium, Friday, Aug. 19, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. We also have video conferencing available for seven more facilities, so sign up soon. (Please allow time to complete a video trial before the conference day.)

We have been approved by ACDIS for four credits towards the Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist (CCDS) certification. We will have four guest presentations including:

Jonathan Elion, MD: Dr. Elion has 40 years of experience in computing and more than 25 years of experience in medical computing and information standards, and is the founder of ChartWise Medical Systems. He will be speaking about ethical practices in CDI and the importance of quality documentation.
Mario A. Perez, III, RHIA, RHIT, CCS, CCS-P: Perez is the Director, Coding and Documentation Compliance for J.A. Thomas & Associates, Inc. He will be speaking about why facilities need CDI programs, how to makes them successful, and how justify CDI efforts to the larger facility stakeholders.
Glenn Krauss, BBA, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, C-CDIS, CCDS, independent consultant based in Madison, WI, will discuss the future of CDI.
Jean Elsener, RN CPUR, CRN-C, CRN-A CCDS, CDI specialist, Quality Management, will discuss writing concise, standardized, and non-leading queries.

For information, contact Susan Tiffany RN, CCDS, supervisor CDI, Guthrie Healthcare System, Robert Packer & Corning Hospitals at 570/887-6094 or by e-mail at tiffany_susan@guthrie.org

New Jersey

The NJ ACDIS Chapter holds a “summer outing” Friday, Aug. 19, 1:30-4 p.m., at RRA, Inc., Meeting Annex, 385 West Ferris St., East Brunswick. The meeting will include tasty frozen drinks and yummy appetizers and door prizes. It also features an opportunity to share CDI best practices and trouble areas, explore ways to achieve physician compliance, and preview of Quadrameds ICD-10 Simulator and CDI Tracking software. For information contact, Deborah Gardner-Brown at 732/238-4511, or e-mail Deborah@RRA-INC.com

Florida

FLACDIS Quarterly Meeting is set for Saturday, Aug. 20,9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at Sacred Heart Medical Center, 5151 N Ninth Ave., Pensacola. The agenda has changed slightly:

Three CEU’s awarded for CCDS renewal including:
- Virginia Bailey/Dr. Dragut – Coding Quiz
- Trivia Contest-Kimberly Richert
- Dr. Michelle Dragut (E-mail topic requests to Virginia.bailey@baycare.org)
- Katherine (Kitty) Novak, Director FTI Consulting presenting on principal diagnosis selection
Raffles, even a 50/50 one this time!
Corn dogs, candy apples, cotton candy!
Opportunity to network with your peers
Blue Ribbon Pie Contest

RSVP by August 10 to pcassady@csg-hs.com. For more information, visit the FLACDIS website or the Florida ACDIS Chapter’s Facebook page.

California

ACDIS-CA chapter meets via teleconference Wednesday, Aug. 24, 9-10 a.m. For information, contact Dexter D’Costa by e-mail at dr_dexterdcosta@yahoo.com.

Multiple meetings being held across the US help CDI professionals chill out the summer season with educational offerings.

Planning ahead

Georgia

The next meeting of the Southeast Chapter will be at Medical Center Central Georgia in Macon, Sept. 9, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. RSVP to james.doster@emoryhealthcare.org. Attendance is $10 for non-members; annual membership dues are $25.

Maine

The next Maine ACDIS meeting is scheduled for Sept. 20. For information, contact Theresa Davis BSN, RN, CCDS, by e-mail at tdavis@emh.org.

Michigan

The MI ACDIS Chapter has postponed its July meeting and will hold its next teleconference on Thursday, Oct. 20, noon to 1 p.m. The meeting features an in-depth look at how ICD-10 affects CDI program practices with MI member Sue Haley. For information contact, Janet Gentle, at 231/487-3564 or by e-mail at jgentle@northernhealth.org.

South Carolina

The first SC ACDIS Chapter kickoff was a huge success, so save-the-date for the next meeting slated for Friday, Nov. 11, 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at Providence Hospital, in Columbia. For information, contact Rebecca “Ali” Williams at 864/560-5701 or by e-mail at rawilliams@srhs.com.

August 04, 2011 | Melissa Varnavas | Comments 3

May meetings for local chapters

Joining a local CDI networking group is one way to get off the routine CDI treadmill and find innovative ways to enhance your team's performance.

Connecticut

During the next Connecticut ACDIS Chapter meeting on Thursday, May 12, memebers will discuss the creation of chapter bylaws and mission statement, complete a learning module regarding principal diagnosis and share tools for the creation of a chapter resource library. For information, contact MaryAnn Shanley at mshanley24@yahoo.com. Read the minutes from the March meeting.

Illinois

St. Alexius Medical Center hosts the next N. Illinois ACDIS Chapter meeting on Friday, May 13, from 12:30-3 p.m. Possible agenda items include sharing information learned from the 4^th Annual ACDIS conference and recent RAC findings/experiences. For information, contact Ellen Chang, RN, CCDS, Clinical Documentation Manager, at 847/755-7610 or by e-mail at Ellen.chang@alexian.net.

Maine

The next Maine ACDIS Meeting will be held Tuesday, May 17, 1-5 p.m., at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Brewer. Agenda includes:

Updates from 2011 ACDIS National Conference
CEUs for local meetings
Networking
ACDIS website demonstration
Group structure

Hawaii

The Hawaii ACDIS Chapter meets Wednesday, May 18, from noon to 1:30 p.m., at Castle Medical Center where attendees will listen to and discuss the HCPro audio conference “Short Stays: A Data Driven Approach to Medical Necessity.” For information, contact Eleu Zane at Eleu.Zane@palimomi.org.

Ohio

The Columbus, OH, ACDIS Chapter meets Thursday, May 19th. For information, contact Sheri Blanchard, RN, Clinical Documentation Specialist, at Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital at 614/366-4197.

Florida

The next meeting of the Florida ACDIS Chapter themed “Another Day in Paradise,” takes place Friday, May 20, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Jupiter Medical Center in Jupiter, FL. The agenda includes:

Registration and breakfast
Margi Brown, consultant: “Blending Denials into the CDI Mix”
Raffles and networking
Cortnie Simmons and Cheryl Bowling, Kforce Healthcare: “Translating ICD-9 to ICD 10 for Common Diagnosis
Lunch and networking
Cathy Cover, manager of RAC Denials at MPM and Dr. Mark Michelman, physician advisor at MPM: “Sink or Swim: Surviving the RAC Attack

Reserversations requested. Contact Iris at 561/745-5783. First time attendees are welcome. CEUs cost $10.

Be sure to visit FL ACDIS’ Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/acdisflorida and its new website http://flacdis.org/.

Click on this link to read the latest FL ACDIS Newsletter.

Wisconsin

The First Annual WI ACDIS Conference will be held on Saturday, May 21, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare, in Wauwatosa. The meeting titled “Clinical Informatics for the CDIS Query Process,” includes:

“Recognition of Atypical Clinical Presentations and the Query Process” by Dr. Gamal Eskander
“Highlights of the 4th Annual ACDIS Conference including legal perils of physician querying” by Lynn Sisler, Diane Draize, and Glenn Krauss.
“Sharing of CDIS Best Practices from WI ACDIS Members,” a panel discussion.
“Recognition of Query Opportunities,” role playing participations of verbal and written query dissemination.
“The Expanded Role of CDI specialists,” discussion of how to collaborate with case management.

CCDS CEUs offered. Buffet Lunch will be provided and ample time will be available for chapter networking. RSVP required. Registration will be from 9-9:45 a.m. Meeting will start promptly at 10 a.m. Registration fee is $20 and includes lunch, drinks, and morning coffee.

For information, contact Diane Draize at Diane.Draize@ministryhealth.org or by phone at 920/743-5566 ext. 3143; Joan Korn at Joan.Korn@wfhc.org or by phone at 414/647-5248; Glenn Krauss at GlennKrauss@earthlink.net or by phone at 603/303-3337.

California
The next California meeting takes place Wednesday, May 25, 9-10 a.m., via webinar. For information, contact Dexter D’Costa, dr_dexterdcosta@yahoo.com.

Minnesota

The next Minnesota ACDIS Chapter teleconference meeting will be held Wednesday, May 25, at 1 p.m., hosted by North Memorial Health Care in Robbinsdale, MN. For information, contact Nancy Barnes at Nancy.Barnes@NorthMemorial.com or call 763/520-1974. Or contact MN Chapter leader Heidi Hillstrom by e-mail at hhillstrom@slhduluth.com.

May 05, 2011 | Melissa Varnavas | Comments 7

April and May meetings sprout CDI networking opportunities

California

The CA ACDIS Chapter meets Wednesday, April 27 9-10:30 a.m., for a recap of the 4^th Annual ACDIS Conference and

Nothing quite blooms like an open mind and willing heart.

webinar demonstration of 3M coding and reimbursement software for assigning DRG and other benefits (SOI/ROM determination, DRG Options/PDX, MCC/CC analysis). For information, contact Dexter D’Costa, MD, manager, clinical documentation program, quality improvement & patient safety, by phone at 650/723-5343 or e-mail at dr_dexterdcosta@yahoo.com.

Minnesota

Heidi Hillstrom MS, MBA, RN, CCDS, Clinical Documentation Management, at St. Luke’s Hospital, hosts the next MN ACDIS Chapter meeting on Wednesday, April 27, 1-2:30 p.m. For information, contact 218/249-5461 or e-mail hhillstrom@slhduluth.com.

Virginia

The VA ACDIS Chapter meets Saturday, April 30, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Chippenham Hospital in the Levinson Heart Hospital in Richmond. Lunch will be provided. RSVP required. Contact Angelisa.Romanello@HCAHealthcare.com.

Illinois

St. Alexius Medical Center hosts the next N. Illinois ACDIS Chapter meeting on Friday, May 13, from 12:30-3 p.m. Possible agenda items include sharing information learned from the 4^th Annual ACDIS conference and recent RAC findings/experiences. For information, contact Ellen Chang, RN, CCDS, Clinical Documentation Manager, at 847/755-7610 or by e-mail at Ellen.chang@alexian.net.

Maine

The next Maine ACDIS Meeting will be held Tuesday May 17, 1-5 p.m., at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Brewer. Agenda includes:

Updates from 2011 ACDIS National Conference
CEUs for local meetings
Networking
ACDIS website demonstration
Group structure

Ohio

The Columbus, OH, ACDIS Chapter meets May 19th. For information, contact Sheri Blanchard, RN, Clinical Documentation Specialist, at Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital at 614/366-4197.

Florida

The FL ACDIS Chapter holds its next quarterly meeting Friday, May 20, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Jupiter Medical Center. Agenda includes:

9-10 a.m.: Registration/Breakfast
10-11 a.m.: Cathy Cover, Manager of RAC Denials Morton Plant Mease, “Sink or Swim: Surviving the RAC Attack”
11 a.m. to noon: Margi Brown, Consultant, “Blending Denials into the CDI Mix”
Noon to 1 p.m.: Lunch/Raffle
1-2 p.m.: Cortnie Simmons and Cheryl Bowling, Kforce Healthcare, “Translating ICD-9 into ICD-10 for Common Diagnoses”

Please RSVP by May 2 to Iris at 561/745-5783. First time non-member attendees are welcome for free. CEU’s are $10.

Wisconsin

The First Annual WI ACDIS Conference will be held on Saturday, May 21, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare, in Wauwatosa. The meeting titled “Clinical Informatics for the CDIS Query Process,” includes:

“Recognition of Atypical Clinical Presentations and the Query Process” by Dr. Gamal Eskander
“Highlights of the 4th Annual ACDIS Conference including legal perils of physician querying” by Lynn Sisler, Diane Draize, and Glenn Krauss.
“Sharing of CDIS Best Practices from WI ACDIS Members,” a panel discussion.
“Recognition of Query Opportunities,” role playing participations of verbal and written query dissemination.
“The Expanded Role of CDI specialists,” discussion of how to collaborate with case management.

CCDS CEUs offered. Buffet Lunch will be provided and ample time will be available for chapter networking. RSVP required by May 9. Registration will be from 9 to 9:45 AM. Meeting will start promptly at 10 AM, please plan on arriving on time. Registration fee is $20 and includes lunch, drinks and morning coffee

April 19, 2011 | Melissa Varnavas | Comments 0

15 different groups plan CDI networking opportunities

Join the CDI community at one of 15 events taking place this fall.

October meetings

The New Hampshire CDS Chapter meets Thursday, October 7,1-3 p.m., at St Joseph’s Hospital in Nashua. The speaker, Sandra Egan, RN, C-CDI, nurse auditor from Exeter Hospital will present, “CDI and its proactive role in RAC activities: How what you do affects the outcomes later.” For information, contact Carla Heyn, RHIT, BS, Clinical Documentation Specialist, at Elliot Hospital in Manchester, at 603/663-3452 or by e-mail at cheyn@Elliot-HS.org.

The Central Indiana ACDIS Chapter meets Wednesday, October 13, 10 a.m. to noon, at the Hughes Board room at Clarian’s Methodist campus. In addition to the main topic, “RAC Impact on CDI Programs” by Kathy Bennett from Bloomington Hospital, the group will discuss chapter organization with regard to the length of service for executive team members, and topics for future meetings, speakers, etc. For information, contact Susan Bradford, RN, BSN, CDI specialist at Riverview Hospital in Noblesville, IN, at 317/776-7285 or by e-mail at sbradford@riverview.org.

The New England ACDIS Chapter meets Wednesday, October 13, noon to 2 p.m., at the Miriam Hospital in Providence, RI. Lunch will be provided. For information, contact Karen M. DiMeglio, by phone at 401/444-9393 or by e-mail at KDiMeglio@Lifespan.org.

Maine State CDI Local Chapter meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 19, 1-5 p.m., at the Harold Alfond Cancer Center in Augusta and feature guest speaker Glenn Krauss on expanding the role of CDI’s. Other agenda items include:

CDMP Guide Demo
Blastgroups
Update on CDI No Response Action Plan

For information, contact Theresa Davis, RN, clinical documentation specialist at Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems in Bangor, at 207/735-8340 or by e-mail at tdavis@emh.org.

The Oregon/Southwest Washington Chapter of ACDIS meets Friday, October 15, 10 a.m., at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. For information, contact Eileen Pracz, RN, at 503/418-4023 or by e-mail at pracze@ohsu.edu.

The Florida ACDIS Chapter holds a Halloween masquerade meeting, Saturday, October 23, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Morton Plant Northbay Hospital in New Port Richey. The meeting, dubbed “The Unmasking of Clinical Documentation” features:

Election of 2011 officers
ICD 10 with Gayl Kirkpatrick
E/M Billing with Jonathan Becker
Out patient CDI-a new frontier with Carolyn Rader
A CSI approach to physician education with Sylvia Hoffman
Four CEU’s toward CCDS renewal
Four CME’s for physicians
Contests, giveaways, raffles

For information, contact Virginia Bailey by phone at 727/859-4880 or by e-mail at Virginia.bailey@baycare.org.

November meetings

The first meeting of the Texas ACDIS Chapter takes place Wednesday, November 3, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the offices of KPMG in Dallas. For information, contact TexasACDIS@gmail.com or call Melinda Fleet at 214/840-2295.

The New Jersey ACDIS quarterly education meeting will be held Friday, November 5, from noon to 4 p.m., at the New Jersey Hospital Association Conference Center in Princeton. The meeting features the presentation “Forensic CDI: Are you missing clues in the operative care or the post-op care?” by guest speaker Sue Fitzgerald, RN, MAS. Fitzgerald has more than 30 years experience in emergency, adolescent psych, PACU, cardiac transport, bronchoscopy nursing, and as a surgical clinical reviewer NSQIP. To register, visit http://www.knowledgeconnex.com/RRA/register.htm.

For information, contact Deborah Gardner-Brown, RHIT, CCS, C-CDI, at 732/238-4511, or e-mail Deborah@RRA-INC.com, or contact Melanie Halpern, RN-BC, MBA, CCDS, CCRA, Clinical Documentation and Coding Integrity Supervisor at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark, NJ, at melanie.halpern@gmail.com

The Northern Ohio ACDIS Chapter meets Wednesday, November 10, 11 a.m., at Genesis Healthcare System. For information, contact Kristine Cilona, RN, at Mercy Medical Center 330/489-1111 ext. 3157 or by e-mail at Kristine.Cilona@cantonmercy.org.

The Minnesota ACDIS Chapter meets Wednesday, November 10, at St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth. For information, contact Heidi Hillstrom MS, MBA, RN, CCDS, Clinical Documentation Management by phone at 218/249-5461 or e-mail hhillstrom@slhduluth.com.

The Connecticut ACDIS group gathers, Thursday, November 11, 9-10:30 a.m., at The Hospital of Central Connecticut, Bradley Memorial Campus. For information, contact MaryAnn Shanley by phone at 860/224-5900 ext., 2168 or by e-mail at mshanley@THOCC.org.

Southeast Regional ACDIS Chapter (which includes Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, and other states in the Southeast) holds its next meeting Friday, November 12, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, GA. The meeting comes after the CDI Boot Camp visited the area, so meeting planners anticipate a good discussion of lessons-learned from Boot Camp attendees. A CCDS exam preparation session is also planned. For information, contact Bonnie Epps, MSN, RN, by e-mail at bonnie.epps@emoryhealthcare.org or by phone at 404/712-4550.

The Northern KY/Southern IN Chapter meets Thursday, November 18, 1-4 p.m., at Jewish Hospital in Louisville, KY. For information, contact Dee Schad, RN, BSN, CCDS, by phone at 502/361-6492 or by e-mail at deanna.schad@jhsmh.org.

December/January meetings

Northern IL CDI Networking meeting is tentatively planned for December 7, at Provena St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet. For information, contact Colleen Stukenberg MSN, RN, CMSRN, CCDS, by phone at 815/599-6820, or by e-mail CStukenberg@fhn.org.

The “start-up” of the Southern California ACDIS Chapter is tentatively planned for Wednesday, January 26, 2011, with an evening 6-8 p.m. meeting at Kindred Westminster. Planned speakers include Hassan Alkhouli, MD, CCS, CDI physician adviser and Paryus Patel, MD, both experienced CDI physicians. For information, contact Wendy De Vreugd, RN, BSN, PHN, FNP, CCDS, by phone at 714/899-5020 or by e-mail at wendy.devreugd@kindredhealthcare.com.

October 05, 2010 | Melissa Varnavas | Comments 1

September networking opportunities features first Virginia meeting, new group in South Carolina

Washington-Evergreen Chapter meets Thursday, September 2, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Multicare Health System’s Jackson Hall, in Tacoma. The agenda includes:

Mission/vision statements
ARF/AKI/Encephalopathy
Lunch (on your own) with listening session of the November 2009 ACDIS audio conference regarding Surgical Complications
Clarification processes: Bring examples of clarifications for group review, discussion regarding compliance, review of definitions of leading versus non-leading queries
Meeting planning: Next on-site meeting, discussion on effectiveness of conference calls

For information/reservations contact Sheila Hunt, RN, MN, clinical documentation specialist at Multicare Health System at 253/722-7387 or email Sheila.Hunt@multicare.org.

Connecticut ACDIS Chapter meets Thursday, September 9, 9-10:30 a.m., at The Hospital of Central Connecticut’s Bradley Memorial Campus in Southington. For information, contact MaryAnn Shanley at mshanley@THOCC.org or call 860/224-5900, Ext. 2168.

The next meeting of Maine CDI is planned for Tuesday, September 14, at Maine General Medical Center. For information, contact Theresa Davis, RN, clinical documentation specialist at Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems in Bangor, at 207/735-8340 or by email at tdavis@emh.org.

The Maryland Hospital Association Clinical Documentation Improvement Workgroup meets Friday, September 17, 1:30-3 p.m., at the MHA headquarters in Elkridge. For information, contact Christine Mobley, RN, director of clinical documentation at Prince George’s Hospital Center at 301/618-6507 or email Christine.Mobley@dimensionshealth.org.

The Minnesota group holds its next meeting on Wednesday, September 22, 2-3:30 p.m. For information, contact Michelle L. Callahan, RN, CDI lead specialist at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis by phone at 612/873-9376 or email Michelle.Callahan@hcmed.org.

The next Northern Illinois CDI meeting takes place Friday, September 24, 1-3 p.m., at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights. The meeting features a presentation by Glenn Krauss, BBA, RHIS, CCS, CCS-P, CPUR, FCS, PCS, C-CDIS, CCDS, Senior Coding, Case Management and Reimbursement Consultant titled “Clinical Documentation Improvement and Accurate E & M Assignment: Capitalize Upon the Opportunity for Synergies Through the Convergent Approach” based on his ACDIS White paper: Good E/M Documentation a Win-Win for Physicians and CDI Specialists. For information, contact Colleen Stukenberg MSN, RN, CMSRN, CCDS, 815/599-6820 or by email at CStukenberg@fhn.org.

New Chapters Starting

The first meeting of the Virginia ACDIS chapter will be held Saturday, September 25, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville. Lunch will be provided. For information, contact Janet Lane, RN, FNP, CCM, at 434/760-4489 or email JSL2Z@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu.

Hawai’i CDI specialists held their first networking meeting in August. To join the group contact Elsa L. D. Honma, Project Manager at Hawaii Pacific Health in Honolulu, at 808/535-7127 or by email at elsa.honma@kapiolani.org or Eleu Zane, RN, BS, BSN, C-CDI, at Pali Momi Medical Center at 808/485-4281 or by email at cherlyn.zane@kapiolani.org.

South Carolina has started a group for CDI networking and is in the process of planning its first meeting. For information, contact Rebecca “Ali” Williams, RN, BSN, manager of documentation integrity at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, at 864/560-5701 or by email at rawilliams@srhs.com.

The Southeast Association of Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists (formerly the Georgia ACDIS Chapter) recently changed its name to invite the participation of any CDI specialists living in the southeastern region of the country. For information, check out their Facebook page or contact Bonnie I. Epps, MN, RN, manager of CDI at Emory Healthcare, Inc., in Atlanta, GA, by phone at 404/712-4550 or by email at Bonnie.Epps@emoryhealthcare.org.

Tennessee CDI specialists are invited to contact Judy Rochelle, RN, CCDS, CCM. CPHM, CPUR, CDI Manager at Erlanger Health System in Chattanooga, for networking opportunities at at 423/778-4225 or by email at Judith.Rochelle@erlanger.org.

Texas CDI networking group has begun to plan for its first meeting. For information, contact Kathryn Schulze, RN, OCN, CCDS, Director, Risk and Compliance, at KPMG, in Houston at 713/295-0073 or by email at kschulze@kpmg.com.

Wisconsin CDI specialists are invited to contact Glenn Krauss, BBA, RHIS, CCS, CCS-P, CPUR, FCS, PCS, C-CDIS, CCDS, Senior Coding, Case Management and Reimbursement Consultant to develop an ACDIS networking group in the state at glennkrauss@earthlink.net.

August 30, 2010 | Melissa Varnavas | Comments 1

July meetings slated for NC, IN, LA, MD, MN; Maine and New Jersey offer updates

North Carolina

The NC ACDIS Chapter holds its next meeting on Friday, July 9, 8 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., at Carolinas Healthcare System Airport Training Facility. The event features Pamela P. Benson, MD, MS, FACEP, who will speak on the role of CDI in the emergency department and Tiffany M. Murriel, BSN, RN, from Navigant Consulting, Inc., who will speak on the role of CDI in the transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10.

The cost is $20 at the door. To register, contact meeting hosts Judith Rochelle by e-mail at Judith.Rochelle@carolinashealthcare.org or by phone at 704/582-1226; or Wendy Shedd via e-mail at Wendy.Shedd@carolinashealthcare.org or by phone at 704/355-3189.

For additional information about the North Carolina group contact NC ACDIS President Leah Taylor, RN, CCDS, by e-mail at leah.taylor@novanthealth.org or by phone at 704/402-9656.

Central Indiana

The Central Indiana ACDIS group holds its next meeting on Wednesday, July 14, 10 a.m. to noon, at Community Hospital North. The agenda includes:

Developing Diagnosis Specific Queries with Sandy Beatty from Columbus Regional Hospital
Group Sharing: Query process for staging pressure ulcers, POA and query forms for wound debridement and physician documentation of surgical debridement
Report from ACDIS Advisory Board: Lena Wilson, from Clarian Health will talk about the board’s decision to support the recent release of AHIMA’s CDI Practice Brief

The Central Indiana ACDIS Chapter currently includes more than 30 CDI specialists from facilities as far north as Elkhart to as far south as Columbus. It’s April meeting attendance included 14 participants who traveled to Bloomington Hospital along with six others who attended by audio conference.

For information, contact Susan Bradford, RN, BSN, Clinical Documentation Specialist at Riverview Hospital by phone at 317?776-7285 or by e-mail at sbradford@riverview.org.

New Orleans

The Greater New Orleans Chapter of CDI has a meeting July 14, from 4-6 p.m., at Serranos Restaurant, in the Clearview Mall, in Metairie. For information, contact Royceann Brechtel Fugler, RN, BC, MHA, Clinical Documentation Specialist, at East Jefferson General Hospital by phone at 504/456-5186, or Melissa Mayer at melissamayer@ejgh.org

Maryland

The Maryland Hospital Association Clinical Documentation Improvement Workgroup meets bimonthly, the third Friday of the month, July 16, 1:30–3 p.m., at the Maryland Hospital Association Headquarters in Elkridge. Contact Christine Mobley, RN, director of clinical documentation at Prince George’s Hospital Center, at christine.Mobley@dimensionshealth.org, for information.

Minnesota

The Minnesota ACDIS Chapter holds its next meeting on July 28, 1-2:30 p.m., at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. For information, contact Michelle L. Callahan RN, BSN, CCDS, Clinical Documentation Supervisor by phone at 612/873-9376, or by e-mail at Michelle.Callahan@hcmed.org.

Maine

The Maine ACDIS Chapter Meeting has started a “blastgroup” as a means to communicate with its members regarding upcoming meetings and local events. It’s next meeting will be September 14. To learn more, contact Theresa Davis RN, BSN, CCDS Clinical Documentation Specialist by e-mail at tdavis@emh.org or by phone at 207/973-5178

New Jersey

The NJACDIS holds its next meeting Friday, August 20, 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the New Jersey Hospital Association in Princeton. The meeting will focus on a CDI coding round table. Participants will each receive a portfolio of four de-identified medical records for review one week prior to the meeting and during the session will share various methods about how to best clarify and code for the care provided to the patient. The records will be reviwed for medical necessity, coding, and query opportunities.

There will be a continental breakfast, an outdoor BBQ with all the fixins, and door prizes. Register online www.Knowledgeconnex.com, select the eduation portal, meetings, and scroll down to the date 8/20/2010. Select the NJACDIS meeting, and begin your registration. The meeting will be limited to 35 attendees. For additional information, contact Deborah Gardner-Brown, RHIT, CCS, C-CDI, at 732/238-4511, or e-mail Deborah@RRA-INC.com, or Melanie Halpern, RN-BC, MBA, CCDS, CCRA, Clinical Documentation and Coding Integrity Supervisor at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark, NJ, at melanie.halpern@gmail.com.

July 01, 2010 | Melissa Varnavas | Comments 0

Local leaders talk about recent events, plan more regional meetings

Indiana

The Southern IN/Northern KY ACDIS group meets tomorrow, Thursday, May 20, 1-4 p.m., at Floyd Memorial Hospital. For information, contact Dee Schad, RN, BSN, CCDS, CDI Manager, Jewish Hospital & St Mary’s Healthcare by phone at 502/553-5324 or by e-mail at deanna.schad@jhsmh.org.

Maryland

The MHA CDS Workgroup Meeting will be held Friday, May 21. Agenda items include:

Pediatrics: Who is doing peds reviews and is there anything in particular that they are focusing on?
Phrasing of queries for Navigant.
How (and if) other hospitals notify their physicians of the queries on their records?
Sepsis POA/PPCs: Issues with a high number of sepsis PPCs.
Are any CDS’s getting involved in the PPR projects at their hospitals?
CDS Dues: How does the group feel about yearly dues for the workgroup to cover continuing education?

For information, contact Chris Mobley by e-mail at Christine.mobley@dimensionshealth.org.

Long Island, NY

The next LI/NY Local Chapter Meeting will be held on Monday, May 24, 3-5 p.m. at New Island Hospital. For information contact, Sue Bock, RHIT, CCS, Director, Health Information Management, by phone at516/520-2820 or by e-mail at sbock@nihli.org.

Maine

The next Maine State CDI meeting will be held Tuesday, June 15, 1-5 p.m., at the EMMC Chinchette Building 1C. Topics for discussion include:

ACDIS conference material
case presentations
ICD-10 planning
3M CDIS product demo

For information, contact Theresa Davis by e-mail at TDavis@emh.org

Oregon

The Oregon/SW Washington CDI specialists hold their next meeting St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, OR, Friday, June 18. For information, contact Debbie Kiely, RN, BSN, Clinical Documentation Specialist by phone at 541/706-4970 or by e-mail at dkiely@stcharleshealthcare.org.

Northern Ohio

Kristine Cilona sent along the following recap of The Northern Ohio Documentation Specialists (NODS) group meeting held earlier this month:

NODS had its 2^nd meeting on Tuesday, May 4^th, with more than 25 members present. We have worked our way up to 44 members (plus a few more by contact only as they are so far south and may join the southern group). Our host site on Tuesday was Elyria Memorial Hospital. We had lunch, listened to a great presentation by Sharon Haas, CCS, CPC and Kathy Szpak, RN, BSN titled “Connecting Coding Guidelines with Clinical Documentation”, and did some networking. It was great talking with all the others and sharing similar experiences.

We’ve decided to become an ACDIS chapter! We will remain an informal organization and rotate host sites for our meetings. Our two contacts for ACDIS will be myself and Sharon Kelley from St. Vincent Charity Hospital. Her email address is Sharon.kelley@csauh.com. We’ve tentatively set the next meeting for October.

Northern Illinois

Colleen Stukenberg MSN, RN, CMSRN, CCDS, sent along the following summary of the Northern Illinois CDI Regional meeting:

We had more than 30 people attend our meeting which was held at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, IL. FHN Memorial Hospital sponsored the meeting. Colleen Stukenberg CDMP gave an overview of FHN shedding some light on the uniqueness of a rural network. In addition, Tracy Love, CDMP and Stroke Coordinator at FHN presented a program on the meshing of those two roles. Nancy Ignatowicz led an active discussion around the hot topic of RAC.

Besides snacks and networking, the group also had a chance to win a copy of the Physician Query Handbook from ACDIS. The excited winner was Melissa Swierad from St. Alexius Medical Center.

Our next meeting is tentatively scheduled at Loyola in September. For all that could not come, we missed you but hope to see everyone in the fall.

New York/Penn

Susan Tiffany sent along the following summary of their quarterly meeting last week:

Last Friday, May 14, the Pennsylvania/New York border chapter met. Glenn Krauss gave a very informative power

New York/Penn group

point and helped attendees understand the changes in the IPPS and other billing rules and how the physicians are going to be directly impacted. These tools will allow us to adjust our strategies and hopefully, engage a few more physicians. Paula Frost gave a nice review of the implementation process of a CDMP program and finished with a summary of the physician shadowing process implemented at Reading Hospital. The group finished the with a conference call to NHS Solutions, Inc. regarding the career possibilities available to CDI’s. It was nice to hear the different career choices that are now, or will soon be, available.

It was great to see everyone, I always enjoy meeting new people and seeing old friends. This network is a tool to communicate with others who are doing the same jobs across NY and PA. Please feel free to ask questions, make suggestions. We, as a profession, need to support each other.

By the way, included in the photograph are: Cathy Wells,Olean General; Ellen Sillner, Community Medical Center; Donna Wheeler, Robert Packer Hospital; Shelley Bates, Corning Hospital; Rose Botelle, Corning Hospital.; Kathy Barrett-Corbett, Robert Packer Hospital; Leslee Hughes, Community Medical Center; Linda Maloney, St. Joseph’s Hospital; Julie Howard, Memorial Hospital; Sue Sturtz, Orange Regional Medical Center; Karen O’Hearn, Community Medical Center; Paula Frost, Glenn Krauss, Memorial Hospital; Sue Tiffany, Robert Packer Hospital; Molly Cusick, St. Joesph’s Hospital.

For information about upcoming meetings contact, Susan Tiffany, RN, CDS, Supervisor Clinical Documentation Program, Guthrie Healthcare System by phone at 570/882-6094 or by e-mail at tiffany_susan@guthrie.org.

May 19, 2010 | Melissa Varnavas | Comments 0

Upcoming meetings for local groups

We have a ton of hard working CDI specialists who work even harder to create helpful local networking meetings around the country. Here’s a sampling of what local ACDIS groups are up to.

New Jersey

Due to severe weather, the New Jersery Chapter’s February 28th meeting was postponed. Chapter leaders are working with their guest speaker healthcare fraud investigator Jua’nese L. Williams, PhD, MBA, to reschedule. For information, e-mail melanie.halpern@gmail.com.

Connecticut

The Connecticut ACDIS Chapter meets Wednesday, March 10, at 9 a.m., at The Hospital of Central Connecticut, Bradley Memorial Campus, in Southington. For information, e-mail MaryAnn Shanley at mshanley@THOCC.ORG.

Maine

Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care in Augusta hosts the next Maine CDI networking event on Tuesday, March 16, at 1 p.m. Featured agenda items include:

EMMC Doc Orientation
MGMC Case Presentation
MGMC Pocket Tool
ACDIS Conference/Certification
Brainstorming Session

For information, contact Theresa Davis, RN, clinical documentation specialist at Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems in Bangor, at 207/735-8340 or by e-mail at tdavis@emh.org.

Maryland

The next Maryland CDS Workgroup meets Friday, March 19, 1:30-3 p.m., at Maryland Hospital Association in Elkridge. Contact Christine Mobley, RN, director of Clinical Documentation at Prince George’s Hospital Center with agenda items by March 15, at 301/618-6507 or e-mail Christine.Mobley@dimensionshealth.org

Minnesota

The Minnesota Chapter of CDI Specialists meets on Wednesday, March 24, 2-3:30 p.m. For information, contact Sue Baklarz, RN, Clinical Documentation Specialist, at St. Cloud Hospital, at 320/251-2700 ext. 54301

Evergreen Chapter, NW Washington State

The next meeting will be held Wednesday, March 31, 9-10:30 a.m., at MultiCare Health System’s Allenmore Hospital, in Tacoma. Breakfast will be provided. For information, contact Jennifer Woodworth, RN BSN, manager, Clinical Documentation Improvement at MultiCare Health System at 253/389-8493 or by e-mail jennifer.woodworth@multicare.org.

Indianapolis, IN

A dozen CDI specialists attended the first meeting of the Indianapolis, IN, meeting in February. At its next meeting on Wednesday, April 14, at Bloomington Hospital, members plan to bring sample forms to share. For information, contact Sandy Beatty, RN, BSN, C-CDI, Clinical Documentation Specialist, at Columbus Regional Hospital, in Columbus, at 812/376-5652 or by e-mail at sbeatty@crh.org.

Missouri

The next Missouri CDI meeting takes place Wednesday, April 21, 3-4:30 p.m. at Shawnee Mission Medical Center. For information, contact Joann Agin, regional Manager, data quality at Carondelet Health in Kansas City at 816/943-2115 or by e-mail at jagin@carondelet.com

New England

The next Northeast Regional CDS meeting will be held at South Shore Hospital on Thursday, April 29, 1:30-3:30 p.m., featuring guest speaker Todd Ellerin, MD, who will speak about CDI and infectious diseases. For information, contact Patty Spry, RN, clinical documentation specialist at Emerson Hospital in Concord, or Adrienne Gmeiner, RN, CCS, of Lawrence (MA) General Hospital, by e-mail PSpry@emersonhosp.org or adrienne.b.gmeiner@lawrencegeneral.org.

March 09, 2010 | Melissa Varnavas | Comments 0