ACDIS Preview

Put to Use One Thing From ACDIS 2018

By Heather Hogstrom

The Association of Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists’ (ACDIS) 11th Annual Conference will be held May 21–24 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio. Featuring the theme “One Thing,” the ACDIS conference aims to provide attendees with at least one thing they can take away from the experience and implement in the workplace.

Perhaps attendees will learn that “one thing” at one of this year’s general sessions. Health care futurist Joe Flower will deliver a keynote on “Will AI Eat My Job? Healthcare 2028: The Big Reveal.” David S. Nilasena, MD, MSPH, MS, chief medical officer for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ regional office in Dallas, will discuss “The CMS Quality Payment Programs — Changes for Year 2.” Finally, motivational speaker Allison Massari will present “The Survival Guide to Being Human — and the Art of Happiness.”

Geared toward those in the clinical documentation improvement (CDI) profession, the ACDIS conference features six concurrent educational tracks: clinical and coding, management and leadership, quality and regulatory, expansion and innovation, outpatient, and pediatric.

The new pediatric track offers sessions such as “How to Implement CDI in the NICU,” “Pediatric Risk Adjustment for CDI Professionals,” and “Baby Steps: Implementing and Maintaining a Pediatric CDI Program.”

When choosing which sessions to attend, keep in mind not only the track topic but also the session rating. Each session is rated basic, intermediate, or advanced to let attendees know how much knowledge and experience they should have to get the most out of the content.

Those who require more targeted, in-depth education can extend their conference by registering for one of the two-day preconferences, held May 20–21. ACDIS is offering a prep class for the CCDS exam as well as boot camps on mastering clinical concepts in CDI or the physician advisor’s role in CDI.

The 2018 ACDIS Achievement Award winners will be honored on the morning of May 23 as well as that evening at the Closing Night Awards Reception, which is a new event for the conference. Attendees who purchase a ticket for this optional reception will enjoy drinks and appetizers at the LDR & Grotto, an indoor-outdoor venue at the convention center.

Since the convention center is located on the San Antonio River Walk, attendees can easily explore the sites, shops, and scenery that line the river running through the city. The Alamo is a must-see historic landmark, the Shops at Rivercenter and Market Square both boast plenty of shopping and dining options, and the Tower of the Americas is topped with an observation deck and a revolving restaurant that provide a panorama of San Antonio.

Download the conference app for access to the program, as well as interactive features including tweets about #ACDIS2018 and audience polls.

For more information or to register, visit https://acdis.org/annual-conference.

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