All Entries Tagged With: "networking"

More than a dozen opportunities to learn locally this spring

Texas: The state-wide TX ACDIS group holds its annual meeting Friday, April 6, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at KPMG Building in Dallas. The agenda includes:

• Registration and networking
• Chapter Business Meeting
• The Importance of Capturing Shock in the ICU Setting, Cindy Pritchett
• Lunch
• IPPS and ICD 10: What the future holds, Beverly Cunningham
• Value Based Purchasing, Scott Robins, MD
• Networking, Q&A

For information, contact Joanne Dukes at 972/566-5526 or email joanne.dukes@hcahealthcare.com.

New Orleans: The NOLA ACDIS Chapter holds its next meeting on April 11, 4-6 p.m., at Semolina’s restaurant in Metairie, LA. For information, email Melissa Mayer melissamayer@ejgh.org.

Indiana: The Central Indiana Chapter is gearing up for its next meeting Wednesday, April 11, 10 a.m. to noon, with featured speaker Nancy Ignatowicz presenting “CDI Success:  How Do You Measure It?”  For information, contact Susan Bradford at 317/776-7285 or by email at sbradford@riverview.org.

PHIMA: The Pennsylvania AHIMA group holds a CDI-related education session on Friday, April 13, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Wesley Village Conference Area, in Pittston. The agenda includes:

• Continental Breakfast
• Physician Buy In for your CDI Program, David McCann, director, Berkeley Research Group, LLC
• Physician Leadership and CDI Initiatives, Herbert Weinman, MD, president, BCE Technology
• CDI Programs: Why you Need One, Make it Successful, and Justify It, Mario A. Perez, III, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P director, clinical consulting, J.A. Thomas & Associates
• Lunch
• Roundtable Discussion: CDI Programs Implementation and Use, AHIMA CDI Tool Kit
• Review of Documentation Requirements for Optimal Reimbursement, Caroline Rader Znaniec, manager, Health Care Advisory Services, Grant Thornton, LLP

For information, email Eve Ellen Mandler at Eve-Ellen.Mandler@stclair.org.

Nevada: The next Southern Nevada ACDIS meeting will be on Wednesday, April 18, at 5:30 p.m. Guest speaker Karen Zaninovich Parker, RHIT, 3M Health Information Services consulting, will discuss how CDI specialists can begin ICD-10 documentation improvement now. She is making a special trip from Utah to join the Nevada ACDIS Chapter group. Attendees are invited to bring a brown-bag dinner. Admission is free. RSVP to Ailsa Kompare by April 16 at 702/343-7232 or email ailsa.kompare@kindredhealthcare.com.

Tennessee: The TN ACDIS and the THIMA host a joint session Friday, April 20, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., focused on ICD-10 and the CDI program development. The agenda includes:

• ICD-10 and Beyond: The changing world of classification systems, Kathy Hallock, RHIA
• CDI from a Physician’s Perspective, Drew Rothschild, MD
• Best Practices for CDI Programs: Practical advice for improving or creating a successful program, Kyra Brown, RHIA, CCS
• What you should be doing now to prepare for ICD-10: How you can help your physicians improve documentation practices now, James Kennedy, MD, CCS
• Working lunch: HCA’s Approach to CDI.
• Group work: groups will choose a diagnosis or procedure where documentation must drastically change to support ICD-10 coding. The groups will discuss ways to improve documentation practices relative to those situations. In the second half of the group work session participants will discuss how to propose and justify a CDI program to hospital administrations.
• Reports from group work and open forum

Registration is $120. Online registration closes at the end of the business day on Tuesday, April 17th.
Click here to register. For information contact, Wanda M. Johnson executive director, TN Health Information Management Association, Nashville, at 615/242-7275 or email wanda@thima.org.

Michigan: The MACDIS Chapter will hold its quarterly telephone conference call on Thursday, April 19, noon to 1 p.m. The guest speaker is ACDIS Advisory Board member Fran Jurcak, RN, MSN, CCDS, director of CDI Practice for Huron Healthcare in Chicago. She will discuss ICD-10, goals/objectives of a CDI program, CDI staff productivity standards, leading queries,and the benefits of the CCDS certification.

The July MACDIS conference call is in its planning stages. The October quarterly meeting will be a joint regional meeting in collaboration with the Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Northern Illinois, ACDIS associations.

For more information, contact Janet Gentle at 231/487-7509 or email jgentle@northernhealth.org.

New York: The next Albany, NY-regional ACDIS meeting will be held Wednesday, April 25, 2-4 p.m., at the Krause Center at Samaritan Hospital in Troy. For information, contact Lois Rubin at 518/525-1081 or email LRubin@sphcs.org.

Illinois: The next Northern Illinois ACDIS meeting will be held on Friday, April 27, 12:45 p.m., at Centegra Hospital, in McHenry. For information, contact Colleen Stukenberg at 815/599-6820, or email CStukenberg@fhn.org.

Maryland: The MDHIMA hosts its meeting 1-5 p.m., Thursday, May 3, at the Convention Center in Baltimore. The agenda features ACDIS Advisory Board member Robert S. Gold, MD, and discussion of CDI-related efforts including:

• Getting Medical Staff Interested in ICD-10”
• Metrics of CDI
• Writing Effective Queries

For information, visit http://www.mdhima.org/ContactUs.html.

West Virginia: The newly formed West Virginia ACDIS Chapter holds its first meeting Monday, May 14, at 1 p.m., at CAMC Hospital in Charleston. For information, contact Sheila Harrison at 304/389-0689 or email Sheila.Harrison@camc.org.

Kentucky/Illinois: The next session of the Kentucky/Illinois ACDIS Chapter will be Thursday, May 24, 1-4 p.m., at St. Mary’s and Elizabeth Hospital in Louisville, KY. For information, contact Rita Fields at or email rita.fields@BHSI.COM.

Georgia: The next meeting of the Southeast Chapter of the Association of Clinical Documentation Specialists will be Friday, June 15, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, GA. For information, contact Bonnie I. Epps at 404/712-4550 or email Bonnie.Epps@emoryhealthcare.org.  Visit the Southeast Regional ACDIS Chapter Facebook page for announcements and other information.

Update: Local Chapter meetings

There are few upcoming meetings I wanted to bring to your attention.

First, the FL ACDIS Chapter meets tomorrow, Saturday, March 17, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Regional Medical Center, Bayonet Point, in Hudson. The agenda includes:

• Pastries and coffee, donated by Panera Bread, and registration/opening comments
• George Klimis discussion of “The Road to Outpatient CDI”
• Dr. Mark Michelman Q&A: “Ask a Physician: Clinical Questions from the Florida Chapter ACDIS Membership”
• Lunch, featuring homemade corned beef and cabbage and sandwiches from Publix (mint chocolate brownies and Irish crème cake for dessert)
• Sylvia Hoffman presentation titled “Keeping the Wolf at Bay: Query Compliance and Risk Reduction.”

There will be five raffle baskets themed:

• Quality Time with Your Pet
• Sweet Treats
• Time to Garden Gift
• Relaxing Over Spring Break
• Leprechaun’s Delight

One lucky raffle winner will earn money towards their ACDIS Conference attendance expenses.

The meeting’s game will be in a Family Feud format with limericks regarding predetermined diagnoses likely to represent those patients. The teams will try to guess the diagnoses and receive a shamrock coin for each correct guess. The team with the most shamrocks wins St. Patrick’s Day-themed prizes.

For more information about the Florida ACDIS Chapter, visit its website http://flacdis.org/.

Next, I wanted to share the following thoughts written by Judi Bates, RN, BSN, CCDS, CDI specialist at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden, NJ, who has teamed up with Debby Dallen, RN, clinical documentation coordinator at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, to host the first Philadelphia regional CDI networking meeting. Excited about the event which which will be held Thursday, March 22, 8-10:30 a.m., at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center, Bates writes:

“Nothing grows in a vacuum. With that thought in mind a new networking group will have their first meeting on Thursday, March 22. The ACDIS website is a great way to collaborate via e-mail/CDI Talk and the ACDIS Blog. For some, that little bit of networking is all they need. But I am excited about being able to go to an ACDIS local chapter meeting, where we can share and learn in a face-to-face venue. Whether our gathering proves to be big or small, I know this forum will be a catalyst to solving problems and working efficiently.

“The purpose of an organized meeting in the local area is to share; share the good, bad, and ugly of our profession. Actually I hope that when we do gather next week, our discussions will mostly be about the positive aspects of our jobs and that when we do discuss problem areas that  we may help one another through our CDI growing pains. I am looking forward to talking with like-minded people, people who won’t give me that quizzical look when I tell them my title is CDI specialist.

“When I started as a CDI specialist more than three years ago, it didn’t take long before I was curious to see how other people did this job. I also wanted to pick people’s brains about what didn’t work and what did at their facilities. Efficiency is the name of the game, after all. That was when I began chatting with many individuals via ACDIS, one of which is the co-chair of this group, Deb Dallen.

“Our paths have crossed a few times over the years but it wasn’t until ACDIS Associate Director Melissa Varnavas suggested we start this group that we got together. So we are hoping to have lots of CDI specialists join us next week. We hope you’ll come with great ideas and positive energy to spark the potential for improvements in world of CDI in this area.

“Membership to ACDIS is not mandatory, so if you know someone who doesn’t belong and is interested, bring them along. You can find all the information you need under the tab ‘Local Chapters’.”

Bates and Dallen say that the first meeting will be informal and informational in nature featuring a meet-and-greet and open networking discussion. RSPV to Judi Bates via e-mail at Batesj@lourdesnet.org, or by phone at 856/757-3161. Or contact, Debby Dallen at dallend@einstein.edu, or by phone at 215/456-8902.

As a reminder, the North Carolina, South Carolina, and Minnesota ACDIS Chapters all also meet in the coming weeks. Like Judi, we know how valuable these local networking events can be. Frequently, they present an inexpensive way to stay informed on important CDI-related topics, and to learn from others’ experiences.

You can find a list of meeting information in a previous ACDIS Blog post or by visiting the Chapter Meeting tab under the Local Meetings section of the ACDIS website.

It’s not luck that makes March networking meetings flourish

New Networking Efforts

Alabama: Inspired by attending networking meetings in Georgia and Tennessee, CDI specialist Margaret Stephens, RN, MSN, CCDS, from Huntsville (AL) Hospital hopes to gather CDI-related professionals closer to home to share best practices. For information, contact her at margaret.stephens@hhsys.org.

Children’s/NICU network: ACDIS is developing a special networking group for CDI professionals working in children’s hospitals or looking to expand their current CDI program efforts to cover pediatric or neonatal intensive care units (NICU). For information, contact ACDIS Associate Director Melissa Varnavas at mvaranvas@cdiassociation.com.

Missouri: Sara Baine, MSN-Ed, CDI specialist at SoutheastHEALTH in Cape Girardeau, MO, hopes to gather CDI professionals from the intersection of Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Tennessee. For information, contact her at 573/331-6932 or e-mail sbaine@SEhealth.org.

Nebraska: Cindy Lungrin and Michelle Clyne from Catholic Health hope to gather interested professionals for networking purposes via telephone conference. For information, contact ACDIS Associate Director Melissa Varnavas at mvaranvas@cdiassociation.com.

Rochester, NY: Ruth Pfrengle, BSN, RN, director of utilization management at the University of Rochester Medical Center, volunteered to help facilitate networking opportunities in the region. For information, contact her at 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 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, 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, volunteered to help get networking efforts started in the state. For information, contact her at 304/389-0689 or e-mail Sheila.Harrison@camc.org.

March meetings

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

Connecticut: The CT ACDIS Chapter holds its next meeting 1:30-3 p.m., Thursday, March 8, at The Hospital of Central Connecticut, Bradley Memorial Campus, in Southington. Discussion will focus on how CDI staff can audit their efforts to demonstrate program success. Participants should read the ACDIS White Paper “Audit your CDI program to avoid pitfalls,” prior to the meeting. The group will also discuss how to incorporate PEPPER analysis into CDI program focus areas. Participants should also review the ACDIS Journal article “Put PEPPER to Proper Use.” For information, contact MaryAnn Shanley at 860/714-1261 or e-mail mshanley@stfranciscare.org.

Tennessee: The next TN-ACDIS meeting will be held at Baptist Hospital in Nashville 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Friday, March 16, featuring keynote speaker Trey LaCharite, MD, clinical asistant professor, physician advisor for CDI and Coding at University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. To RSVP, e-mail james.wilson@baptisthospital.com. For more information, contact Sherri Clark at 865/804-6561 or e-mail SClark@mc.utmck.edu.

Florida: The FL ACDIS Chapter hosts its first quarter meeting 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.,St. Patrick’s Day, Saturday, March 17, at Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point, in Hudson. The agenda includes:

• 9-10 a.m.: Pastries and registration
• 10-11 a.m.:  George Klimis; “The Road to Outpatient CDI.”
• 11-11:15 a.m.:  Break
• 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: Mark Michelman, MD; “Ask a Physician-Clinical: Questions from the Florida Chapter ACDIS Membership.”
• 12:15-1:15 p.m.: Lunch and networking
• 1:15-2:15 p.m.:  A CDI game of diagnoses; “When Irish Eyes Aren’t Smiling.” Prizes for the winning team.
• 2:15-2:30 p.m.:  Break
• 2:30-3:30 p.m.:   Sylvia Hoffman; “Keeping the Wolf at Bay: Query Compliance and Risk Reduction.”

Nearby hotels include the Hampton Inn & Suites in New Port Richey. RSVP to Charrington “Charlie” Morell by phone at 727/819-2929 ext., 2252, or by e-mail at Charrington.Morell@hcahealthcare.com.

Philadelphia, PA: The first meeting of the Philadelphia/Southern New Jersey ACDIS Chapter will be held 8-10:30 a.m., Thursday, March 22, at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center, in Camden, NJ. The first meeting will be informal and informational in nature featuring a meet-and-greet and open networking discussion. RSPV to Judi Bates via e-mail at Batesj@lourdesnet.org, or by phone at 856/757-3161. Or contact, Debby Dallen at dallend@einstein.edu, or by phone at 215/456-8902.

North Carolina: The NC ACDIS Chapter holds its first meeting of 2012 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thursday, March 22, at Cone Health System in Greensboro. The agenda includes:

• 9-9:45 a.m.: NC ACDIS Chapter Business meeting
• 10-11:30 a.m.: Donald A. Butler, RN, BSN, 2011 CDI Professional of the Year; “Audit Your CDI Program to Avoid Pitfalls.”
• 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: Lunch
• 12:15-1:15 p.m.: Linda Lucas, LCSW, CEAP; “Taking Care of You.”
• 1:30-3 p.m.: Doreen Ireland, VP of Consulting for JA Thomas.

Admission is $40. To register, e-mail Brenda.Harris@carolinashealthcare.org or call 336/832-7000 or visit www.ncacdis.org.

South Carolina: The SC ACDIS Chapter meeting will be held 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Friday, March 23, at Greenville (SC) Hospital System. The agenda includes:

• 10:30-11 a.m.: SC ACDIS Business Meeting.
• 11-11:45 a.m.: Speaker, TBD.
• Noon to 2 p.m.: Working lunch featuring ACDIS Audio-on-Demand.
• 2-2:45 p.m.: Cathy Lips, CCS, Coding Educator; “Encephalopathy and the CDI Struggle.”
• 3-3:30 p.m.: Open networking, closing statements and discussion.

RSVP to Nita Seel at Jseel@ghs.org, or for additional information contact, Rebecca “Ali” Williams, RN, BSN, CCDS, manager, documentation integrity at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center rawilliams@srhs.com.

Minnesota: The monthly MN ACDIS Chapter meeting will be held 1-2 p.m., Wednesday, March 28. For dial-in instructions, contact Mark LeBlanc, RN, MBA, CCDS, Clinical Documentation Manager-HIM, at Hennepin County Medical Center, at 612/873-9376 or e-mail  Mark.LeBlanc@hcmed.org.

Upcoming events

Texas: The state-wide TX ACDIS group holds its annual meeting 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Friday, April 6, at KPMG Building in Dallas. The agenda includes:

• 9 a.m.: Registration and networking
• 10 a.m.: Chapter Business Meeting
• 11 a.m.: Cindy Pritchett; “The Importance of Capturing Shock in the ICU Setting”
• Noon: Lunch
• 1 p.m.: Beverly Cunningham; “IPPS and ICD 10: What the future holds”
• 2 p.m.: Scott Robins, MD; “Value Based Purchasing”
• 3 p.m.: Networking, Q&A

For information, contact Joanne Dukes, RN, BSN, MS, CDI Supervisor at HCA Healthcare, in Dallas at 972/566-5526 or by e-mail at joanne.dukes@hcahealthcare.com.

 

Tennessee: The TN ACDIS and the THIMA host a joint session 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Friday, April 20, location to-be-decided, focused on ICD-10 and the CDI program development. The agenda includes:

• 8:30 a.m.: Registration
• 9-9:30 a.m.: Kathy Hallock, RHIA; “ICD-10 and Beyond: The changing world of classification systems.”
• 9:30-10 a.m.: Drew Rothschild, MD; “CDI from a Physician’s Perspective.”
• 10:15-11 a.m.: Kyra Brown, RHIA, CCS; “Best Practices for CDI Programs: Practical advice for improving or creating a successful program.”
• 11-11:45 a.m.:  James Kennedy, MD, CCS; “What you should be doing now to prepare for ICD-10: How you can help your physicians improve documentation practices now.”
• Noon to 1 p.m.: Working lunch; HCA’s approach to CDI.
• 1-1:45 p.m.: Group work; groups will choose a diagnosis or procedure where documentation must drastically change to support ICD-10 coding. The groups will discuss ways to improve documentation practices relative to those situations. In the second half of the group work session participants will discuss how to propose and justify a CDI program to hospital administrations.
• 2-3 p.m.: Sharing and learning; Reports from group work and open forum.

For information contact, Wanda M. Johnson, RHIT, executive director, TN Health Information Management Association, Nashville, at 615/242-7275 or e-mail wanda@thima.org.

Maryland: The MDHIMA hosts its meeting 1-5 p.m., Thursday, May 3, at the Convention Center in Baltimore. The agenda features ACDIS Advisory Board member Robert S. Gold, MD, and discussion of CDI-related efforts including:

• “Getting your medical staff interested in ICD-10”
• “Metrics of CDI”
• “Writing Effective Queries”

For information, visit http://www.mdhima.org/ContactUs.html.

Central Indiana Chapter chooses leaders

By Susan Bradford, RN, BSN

I am pleased to announce the following people have accepted their nominations and will serve as the 2012 ACDIS Central Indiana Chapter officers:

President: Susan Bradford, RN, BSN
Current position and organization: Clinical Documentation Specialist, Riverview Hospital, Noblesville, IN.
Past positions and organizations: Operating room staff nurse, medical-surgical staff nurse, OB/labor and delivery charge nurse, case manager, lead case manager Marion General Hospital (MGH), in Marion, IN.
Education: Bachelor of Science in nursing, Ball State University, Muncie, IN.
Professional organization memberships: ACDIS member since 2009; participated on the executive leadership team of the Central Indiana ACDIS Chapter since January 2010.
Professional experience and attributes: I have 19 years of clinical experience as well as 10 years of experience in utilization review and case management. As the lead case manager, I served as a liaison between case management and IT core team. I represented case management in a hospital-wide process to gain Magnet recognition for nursing at MGH and served on a task force for rapid process change in case management. Currently, I’m the CDI specialist for a small 154-bed community hospital. I’ve enjoyed the challenge of implementing a CDI program along with learning and applying inpatient coding guidelines and processes. I strive to build collaborative relationships with the medical staff as well as quality improvement, case management and the revenue cycle team at my facility. I believe that a complete medical record which accurately reflects medical necessity and facilitates continuity of patient care is of the utmost importance in today’s healthcare climate.
Objectives and vision for 2012: I would like to continue to offer continuing education opportunities to the Central Indiana ACDIS Chapter membership, promote best practices, share resources, encourage collaboration, and facilitate networking of CDI professionals in Indiana. With regard to continuing education, one specific goal I have for 2012 is to pool our resources with the Kentucky/Southern Indiana Local Chapter to plan a larger combined chapter meeting offering prominent speakers addressing key CDI topics and issues.
Contact: sbradford@riverview.org

Vice President: Kathy Wilson, RN BA, BSN
Current Position and organization: CDI specialist, Community Health Network in Indianapolis.
Education: BSN, BA in education/English literature, HCPro Certified Coder Boot Camp® – Inpatient Version, HCPro Certified Coder Boot Camp®.
Professional organization memberships: ACDIS, Executive Women in Healthcare, AHIMA.
Professional experience and attributes: As the medical auditor/coding manager at All Children’s Hospital in St Petersburg, FL, I became aware of the urgent need for improved physician documentation in the medical record as this documentation directly related to the amount of reimbursement the hospital received from insurance payers. I began networking with other RN medical auditors and found a group of nurses from another hospital called documentation specialists. They had also just begun this journey and helped me tremendously to get such a program started at All Children’s. From this small group of dedicated nurses, one of the very first organizations of documentation improvement specialists began. I have been a CDI for the past six years taking my unique skill set to three different hospital organizations to teach them the importance of detailed and accurate physician documentation.
Objectives and vision for 2012: As the vice president of the local Central Indiana ACDIS Chapter my main objective is to support the elected president and serve in her absence. I am passionate about CDI specialists becoming recognized as professionals. Our unique knowledge is based on years of clinical expertise, an understanding of the relationship between documentation and revenue, and the ability to relate to physicians in a professional manner. In the coming year I would like to see our chapter become firmly established within the national ACDIS organization and eventually take the lead in seeking education and knowledge for CDI specialists.
Contact: kwilson4@ecommunity.com

Secretary: Angela Birch, RHIA
Current position and organization: Clinical documentation liaison in the CDI program at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis
Past positions and organizations: Revenue cycle solutions coordinator for CDI, inpatient coding supervisor, inpatient coding coordinator, inpatient coding coordinator-float coder, inpatient coder for Indiana University Health (formerly Clarian Health Partners); HIM services assistant director at the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana.
Education: Bachelor of Science in health information and administration, Indiana University-Purdue University of Indianapolis.
Professional organization memberships: AHIMA.
Professional experience and attributes: I have 11 years of experience in the health information profession in various inpatient coding and CDI positions. I have spent the last four years as a member of the CDI team at IU Health and in that role I use my many years of experience with coding and quality auditing to effectively contribute to the documentation improvement efforts at my organization. In my role as CDI liaison, I concurrently review inpatient medical records to identify potential opportunities for further clarification of diagnostic and procedural documentation and query medical staff when appropriate. I also provide education to physicians on CDI opportunities in formal and informal sessions and oriented and trained new CDI staff members. In addition, I audited inpatient medical records to assess accuracy of coded data and to identify potentially missed documentation opportunities and its impact on quality measures such as severity of illness and risk of mortality. I embrace new ideas and keep an open mind when encountering different opinions and thoughts. I love to teach others about what I know as much as I love to learn new things and take on new challenges and experiences.
Objectives and vision for 2012: I would like to incorporate more continuing education opportunities into our meeting times that would be applicable to as many certification areas as possible. I plan to keep everyone connected and informed about clinical documentation improvement efforts discussed within our local Central Indiana chapter and those at the national level.
Contact: abirch@iuhealth.org

Thank you to everyone who responded, special thanks to Angela Birch, who drafted the candidate bio form and to Carla Payne at Community Hospital East, who created our chapter web page to provide a safe and secure election as well as a forum for chapter communication. I appreciate their combined efforts and input to facilitate a fair election.

Editor’s Note: For more information about the Central Indiana ACDIS Chapter visit the Local Chapter tab on the ACDIS website, visit the ACDIS Blog, or e-mail Bradford at sbradford@riverview.org.

Reminder: Eight tips for social media etiquette

Do you mix your personal and professional lives on your Facebook page? I separate my personal and professional relationships on Facebook. My personal life is just that, and I don’t need or wish to share some things with my professional associates. There’s nothing randy, more like exchanges with my 20-something nephews, girly gossip about fashion and martinis, or grumblings about local politics. I don’t play Farmville (and have no patience for such postings), don’t care about daily horoscopes, or 99% of posted YouTube videos.

These posts don’t belong on professional pages. Facebook gives us a fabulous opportunity to network on the topics that bind us as colleagues. We can share ideas, techniques, and processes. We can ask one another for advice and guidance.  We can commiserate with our cyber friends about our jobs and careers, encourage those who undertaking new challenges, and cheer for those who achieve their goals.

Most Facebook pages are open to the public, which means your comments, posts, and pictures are searchable. You need to be very careful about what you say and post on Facebook—or on any social media platform, whether on a personal or professional page.

I found a Facebook etiquette list published by the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses and got their permission to adapt it here as recommendations for our association’s interactivity on our social networking sites including Facebook, LinkedIn, CDI Talk, and soon (believe it or not) Twitter.

Consider these tips for smart social media conduct:

1. Be respectful of people’s comments. If you don’t agree with a comment, state your point without being rude, confrontational, disrespectful, angry, or vulgar. Better still, don’t reply at all.
2. When you post a comment, ask a question, or respond to others, give your opinion about important topics in a professional manner.
3.  Remember HIPAA – don’t post patient information in ANY form. Don’t post particulars about a patient or a situation that might be identified. Don’t post photos of patients.
4. Share articles from reputable sources that you believe will educate your peers on different topics. Take a page from Glenn Krauss and Lynne Spryszak who frequently share links to government auditors’ transmittals on the ACDIS Facebook page.
5. Be careful how you express an opinion about your current facility, work, or a co-worker. Remember that your managers and co-workers are also interested in these CDI professional networking opportunities and may be members themselves. Don’t forget that your employer and/or future employer could view what you have posted. Don’t divulge confidential and/or proprietary information and don’t spread gossip. If you would not want them misconstruing your conversation if they overheard it in the hallway, don’t put it on the Internet either.
6. If you choose to post pictures, select those that are in good taste. If a photo of a friend is unflattering (and you’d be horrified to see that image of yourself posted for all to see) don’t post it.
7.  Don’t spam. Some people like to eat it (believe it or not) with fried eggs, but reposting advertising or promotional materials to social networking sites isn’t good etiquette.
8. Ask questions of your peers and participate in Wall or Discussion Boards regarding a specific topic. Share your expertise when you can, and thank those from whom you take suggestions.

Note: This list was adapted and reprinted with permission from the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses, www.awhonn.org. For

Book Excerpt: Look to others for advice when starting a new CDI program

A savvy CDI steering committee looking to implement a new CDI program should seek the opinion of other facilities in their vicinity, perhaps even visiting other programs and shadowing CDI professionals on their rounds. Such engagement provides anecdotal first-hand experiences to help shape the roles and responsibilities of the CDI staff and it helps the CDI steering committee gauge potential problems.

The group may also decide to enlist the assistance of professional associations; both the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and the Association of Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists (ACDIS) help foster local meetings in various states where members freely discuss program troubles and triumphs. Furthermore, ACDIS surveys its members annually regarding the structure, staffing, and focus of CDI programs.

For example, two studies (an April 2010 CDI Staffing Survey featuring responses from 85 CDI department directors and a July 2010 CDI Program Benchmarking Survey featuring 482 responses from a variety of CDI professionals) indicate that a majority of CDI programs employ registered nurses as CDI specialists who report to the HIM director.

Whether a facility uses coders, nurses, or some combination of both, and regardless of to whom the CDI staff reports, the goal of capturing complete and accurate documentation should not be compromised in favor of other agendas. Without clearly defined responsibilities, a case manager who also performs some CDI work may push one set of responsibilities aside for another given the limitations of time, experience, and administrative expectation. Conversely, a coder might not pursue a query if tasked with concurrently coding a chart, meeting productivity standards, and maintaining discharged, not final billed (DNFB) goals.

Editor’s Note: This article is an excerpt from The Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist’s Handbook, Second Edition written by Marion Kruse, MBA, RN and Heather Taillon, RHIA, CCDS.

Get a jump on your networking/education resolutions with these January meetings

New England

The next New England ACDIS regional meeting will be held on Monday, Jan. 9, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton, MA. The day-long event features AHIMA certified ICD-10 Trainer Kelley Godin, CCS, who will present a discussion regarding ICD-10 for CDI.

Admission is $30. AHIMA and ACDIS CEU’s will be available. A light breakfast and lunch will be served. Space is limited. Send check or money order to: Kelley Sears, 480 School St, North Dighton, MA 02764. Please include your email address as you will receive a confirmation email that you should bring with you to the program. Jeans will be allowed with a $5 donation for charity.

For information, contact sears.kelley@yahoo.com or kelley.sears@caritaschristi.org.

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.

Michigan

Michigan ACDIS chapter, M-ACDIS, is planning to meet via a telephone conference call on Thursday, Jan. 19, noon to 1 p.m. For information, contact Janet Gentle, 231/487-7509 or e-mail jgentle@northernhealth.org.

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 website. If you do not see a group listed for your area please e-mail ACDIS Associate Director Melissa Varnavas at mvarnavas@cdiassociation.com

Thankful for CDI community collaboration

Over this past year, I’ve had the tremendous honor and pleasure to engage in substantive conversations with at

least three organizations. This has actually been a humbling experience for me — that ‘someone’ out there felt strongly enough of my knowledge, ability, experience, and/or writings that they sought my ideas on CDI. I know I learned a lot through the process of reflection and discussion that occurred. I feel I gained so much more than I offered.

This ‘jazzed’ feeling I experienced during those conversations is the same that I’ve felt every time I’ve been able to attend a gathering of CDI professionals, every time I’ve had the opportunity to speak and teach about CDI or documentation, every time I’ve had a reflective exchange on CDI Talk, or every time I’ve enjoyed any sort of stimulating conversation.

Seems to me, these opportunities I’ve enjoyed are part of the broad concept of networking and collegial professional relationships. This is one of the strongest characteristics I feel we possess as a nascent profession — collaboration, mutual support, and exchange.

This is an important avenue for us as we advance our professionalism.

I am deeply grateful that I’ve had a variety of such experiences. I hope that many others have had the honor to feel this excited about (and due to) our CDI profession. Equally, I wish for everyone a coming year filled with professional satisfaction and fulfillment.

Social Media: Untangling the webs

There are risks to activity on social media. For example, consider the case of a student doing a senior seminar experience (these can be an avenue to one’s first professional job) at a facility.  Unfortunately for this individual, before the facility moved to hire her, her potential employer went and looked at her Facebook page. The result: She was immediately no longer considered for any open position. I’ll leave the details out.

What about Google?  Have you ever Googled yourself, a potential date, an applicant, or a professional service you’re evaluating? Even out of pure curiosity?

Reviewing an individual’s social media presence and activity is a legitimate tool for potential employers and current managers.

I believe there ought to be some degree of latitude with regard to purely personal social activity, of course. Sites like Facebook were built with an aspect of entertainment and socialization imbedded. But the bottom line is that any activity on the internet is captured; potentially stored forever.

The same is true for the ACDIS Blog, CDI Talk, and related ACDIS social media venues.  Even though CDI Talk is for members, the network of membership is at least a couple thousand, and everyone has friends… or colleagues…

Though several recent unfortunate examples come to mind, I’ll only share my own personal experience.

Not too long ago I replied to a CDI Talk discussion but as soon as I hit send, I saw the context of what I’d written in a different, less appealing, light. I called the author of the original post and apologized. I was relieved to learn that this individual had not taken my response in the negative vein as I’d feared but in the positive light in which it was intended.

The networking avenues afforded to us individually through our ACDIS membership are intended to allow us to air our concerns and express our frustrations, to allow us to network with each other and to learn from each other.

However, this network is open to all members of ACDIS—the peers who share your opinions and those who may not; the friends you may have made at a nearby facility and colleagues who work alongside you at your current hospital.

You may find your words and thoughts in the hands of your current boss, or being considered 10 years from now when you are seeking new opportunities.

Don’t get the wrong idea; there is a genuine upside to participating in the social media networks that are now open to our profession. I love participating and conversing with my colleagues. My activity on the blog and on CDI Talk has already afforded me with great opportunities to meet people, learn much, and bring it all back “home” to improve our own CDI program. Despite the potential pitfalls of participation I do not plan to stop what I am doing. In fact, I wish there were more participants.

However, I often do wait before I hit send. I reread my statements and ponder how the message might be perceived. I question if I am revealing too much. I wonder if those reading my response could be offended in anyway. That isn’t to say I stifle my opinion. I just want to be sure to keep my professional integrity intact. Please do join us in the electronic networking that’s offered.

Just be careful out there.

Voices & Perspectives

I see strong evidence that ACDIS is involved with the broad project of defining and expanding effectiveclinical documentation improvement (CDI) practice. For our association to thrive in this endeavor, however, a chorus of voices and perspectives from the CDI community are needed.

In the course of this discussion we must actively maintain a communal understanding of what CDI encompasses. We must continuously ask each other:

• What do CDI specialists do that sets them apart?
• What kinds of activities identify a CDI staff member?
• What knowledge, skills, and abilities do the majority of practicing CDI professionals demonstrate?
• What are the characteristics of strong CDI programs?

To keep our profession (and our professional organization) strong, we need to participate in respectful, professional debate. We need to foster discussions surrounding philosophy, growth, ethics, new projects, and/or fundamental focus areas not just for ACDIS as an organization but for all of us working in the industry. Through this dialogue we will be able to find additional ways to effectively promote the fundamental aspects of CDI, to continue to grow and adapt professionally.

I believe ACDIS offers great resources toward fostering this discussion including:

• The quarterly online publication CDI Journal
• Benchmarking surveys with expert analysis and commentary
• Annual conference
• State networking chapters
• The ACDIS Blog
• CDI Talk

This blog and CDI Talk are two outstanding venues that I feel are particular venues which promote fast, interactive conversations.

I absolutely love reading the ACDIS Blog. I find the posts informative, thought provoking, reflective, introspective, and challenging. I expect (and consistently observe) well written and cogently argued viewpoints. In my opinion, the ACDIS Blog provides:

• Important news items that highlight information, events, activities, or resources that all practicing CDI specialists ought to know and understand
• A venue for the expression of individual thoughts and concerns by those with enough courage to explore and share what they feel to be the heart and soul of a CDI professional’s life
• An arena where we, as CDI professionals, can truly look forward to what the future of CDI might be
• Thought provoking content which challenges us (and allows us to challenge others) to uphold the highest expectations for ethical behavior
• A wonderful group of posts that entertain and delight, which bring a smile and a laugh when we need it the most.

I’ve found inspiration along with practical tips from shared individual experiences on the ACDIS Blog. And I’ve found that the discussions about challenges we all face have provided me with support, encouragement, and new strategies for growth that I have been able to implement in my own program. What’s more, the content on the ACDIS Blog is free, open to any interested professional.

Though the blog is important, the CDI Talk listserv forum which is available to ACDIS members provides a faster method for CDI specialists to reach out, ask a question, and be assured of responses. CDI Talk offers smaller bits and pieces of the more formalized discussions found on the blog, as well as all of the opportunity for individual interactions and questions. It is really is a fun community to belong to.

To me, the growth of our CDI profession and of its professional association, ACDIS, often feels like a process of discovery. Our profession will only continue to improve as long as we listen, reflect, and discuss the viewpoints everyone offers. I encourage everyone to discover their own interesting, exciting or passionate topic and write an original blog post, or start a CDI Talk conversation.

I’d love to see broad participation from everyone in these conversations and explorations. Thank you to the wonderful folks who currently contribute! A vision for CDI that includes professional growth and development needs a great variety and wealth of participation, of voices and perspectives, so please, join the conversation.