ACDIS Preview

Update CDI Knowledge at Annual Conference

By Heather Hogstrom

The Association of Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists (ACDIS) Ninth Annual Conference, set for May 24-26 in Atlanta, will enable clinical documentation improvement (CDI) professionals to network, keep their skills current, earn CE credits, and even take the Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist exam.

This year’s ACDIS conference features five concurrent education tracks, up from last year’s four. A track on CDI expansion has been added, along with the clinical and coding, management and leadership, quality and regulatory, and innovative CDI tracks.

According to the ACDIS, CDI is well established in adult hospitals but is still an emerging field in pediatric hospitals, so a focus of the conference will be on expanding CDI into pediatrics. Sessions include “It’s a Grown-Up World in Pediatric CDI” and “Myth vs Fact: Misconceptions About Pediatric CDI Programs.”

Preconference sessions, held May 22-23, provide additional education for CDI specialists and physician advisors. Attendees can take advantage of one of the following three options:

• “CDI for Quality Boot Camp” will explain how documentation and code assignment affect the revenue cycle and provide strategies for achieving accurate quality indicators and optimal reimbursement.
• “Physician Advisor’s Role in CDI Boot Camp” will provide a regulatory and coding update that incorporates ICD-10. On the second day, participants can choose between “Physician Advisor 101: Core Skills and Responsibilities,” which will cover items physician advisors need to know, or “Exploring the Physician Advisor Role at Vidant Health and Franciscan Alliance,” which will discuss how the two facilities have used their advisors.
• “Building a Best Practice CDI Team,” will help get the cross-discipline team on the same page and offer tips for strengthening collaboration and improving effectiveness. Richard Pinson, MD, FACP, CCS, and Cynthia Tang, RHIA, CCS, CDI specialists and authors of CDI Pocket Guide, will lead the seminar and provide each participant with a copy of the guide to use as a training manual.

Attendees can download the conference app to access conference materials, a session planner, and audience polls, and even receive Twitter notifications. For more information or to register, visit www.hcpro.com/acdis.

— Heather Hogstrom is an editorial assistant at For The Record.