2023 Association of Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialists (ACDIS) Conference

May 8 – 11, 2023 | Chicago, IL

We spend more than half our lives at our jobs. It’s time to see our professional lives for what they are—our lives. It’s time to not just see our 9-to-5s as work but to see ourselves as part of a community of individuals striving to learn and grow. It’s time to see your job in clinical documentation integrity (CDI) as an opportunity to Flourish personally and professionally.

You’ll find sessions for all experience levels and backgrounds in each of the conference tracks for 2023:

• Clinical & Coding: A much-loved conference staple including core clinical and coding components vital to all those engaged in ongoing medical record reviews, perfect for those new to CDI as well as for those who wish to expand or refresh their knowledge
• CDI Master Class: For those who wish to expand their professional skills and explore advanced concepts in CDI
• Quality & Regulatory: An opportunity to explore the ways regulatory initiatives affect CDI practices, and the ways programs are meeting new challenges, by examining how documentation affects quality of care outcomes
• Management & Program Development: A track devoted to expanding program parameters and innovating CDI staff/management experiences and expertise
• Innovation & Expansion: An exploration of cutting-edge advancements including non-traditional settings, concurrent coding, data analytics, and outpatient CDI

As well as unparalleled educational content, ACDIS 2023 features inspirational keynotes to recharge your soul and opportunities to network and commune with your peers that will revive your pride in your profession and send you back home with a new spring in your step.

As always, ACDIS provides continental breakfast, lunch, snacks and beverages during breaks, and an opening night reception, all included with registration.

So, join us in 2023—it’s the right environment, the right nutrients, and the right atmosphere to better understand all the ways you can turn your daily work into an opportunity to not just live, but Flourish! 

2023 Association of Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialists (ACDIS) Conference

Keynote

Tuesday May 9, 2023, opening session

The Importance of Being … You: Lessons in Authenticity

Brian Murphy

We are all born with a unique soul and a one-of-a-kind voice. But many of us have grown afraid to be ourselves, or it’s been conditioned out of us in the world of work.

Ultimately, we need a better approach in order to bring our best selves to work, and to life. We need to leverage the power of our individuality and unique gifts, through authenticity.

ACDIS was blessed with a unique voice. For the better part of its first 15 years Melissa Varnavas served our community with her words and actions. Her focus included growing and serving ACDIS local chapters, and developing the education—and fun—at the national conference. Through being herself—a poet and a free spirit—Melissa infused ACDIS with the character its members have come to appreciate and love.

Melissa lost a brave battle with breast cancer in August 2022, but her spirit continues to be felt in all the association stands for today.

Join former ACDIS Director Brian Murphy as he returns to the stage to discuss the importance of authenticity in work, and in life. Brian will talk about his journey of authenticity, share memories of working with Melissa, and honor her lasting contributions to the organization.

Wednesday May 10, 2023, opening session

The Choice to Flourish

Laurie L. Prescott, RN, MSN, CCDS, CCDS-O, CDIP, CRC, ACDIS Interim Director

When I hear the word flourish, I first think of a flower garden, colorful and packed with beautiful color and an abundance of green healthy life. But there is another definition of flourish: Flourish as a noun that describes an instance of suddenly performing or developing in an impressively successful way. We all live for those moments when we enter the scene in total control and seize the day. That scene may be an exchange with a provider, or a huge win in a record review, an influencing conversation with senior management, or perhaps a presentation at your national conference. Life is better when we celebrate those moments in which we flourish.

How do we create an environment in which one can flourish? We do that by learning, sharing, and growing. By seeking out mentors and offering to mentor others. By seeking out new challenges and encouraging others to do the same. The ACDIS conference offers you a perfect platform to adopt a new attitude, one in which every day brings opportunities to flourish. Take the time to appreciate those instances in which you and others flourish, recognize them, and celebrate them.

If we strive for this ourselves and encourage it in others, then the profession will continue to grow and flourish beyond imagination. This year, I challenge attendees to leave ACDIS 2023 with a plan for how they will perform in an impressively successful way and how they will instill that same drive in others.

It is all about attitude, a willingness to inspire others, and the bravery to step up and put yourself out there: the choice of flourishing.

Wednesday May 10, 2023, keynote

Leading With an Inclusive Lens: Achieving Organizational Synergy with Diversity and Inclusion

Dr. Jermaine M. Davis

In this engaging and thought-provoking presentation, Dr. Jermaine teaches leaders and frontline employees how to behave, communicate, and think with an inclusive lens to create an environment that’s respectful of everyone. Identifying leadership blind spots is a key component to moving forward in this area. It’s important to engage in courageous conversations about diversity-related issues. Dr. Jermaine teaches people how to address sensitive issues without feeling awkward, guilty, fearful, or uncomfortable.

As a masterful storyteller, Dr. Jermaine will share real-world examples, provide practical tips, and highlight inclusive practices so everyone can excel from the inside out.

Thursday May 11, 2023, keynote

Flight 2022-2023: Destination Uncharted Territory

Amelia Rose Earhart

There will be successful companies in 2022-2023 and beyond. What’s one thing these teams will need to have in common? A willingness to venture into uncharted territory. In the midst of professional and personal change, teams who take action on bold, resourceful, and never-before imagined solutions are the ones that will find growth.

As a boundary-pushing around the world pilot, Amelia Rose Earhart knows exactly what it takes to venture into uncharted territory; now she’s sharing her one-of-a-kind perspective and strategy with the world.

With the odds stacked against her, Amelia brought her own bold idea to life in 2014, piloting a small plane 28,000 nautical miles around the globe. To accomplish this, Amelia self-funded her private, instrument, and commercial flight training, went through open-water survival training, crafted a strategic business plan to design, fund, and market her around the world attempt, helped to design and build a custom auxiliary fuel tank for the trip, grew a large and passionate social following to spread the word, raised close to $2 million in partnerships with 28 corporations, founded and ran a charity organization to send numerous teenage girls to flight school, and more.

In Amelia’s keynote, she shares three non-negotiables that she used in her successful, uncharted trip around the globe, which are directly transferable to the healthcare world. Amelia’s talk contains actionable takeaways that people can start implementing immediately.

2023 Association of Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialists (ACDIS) Conference

Agenda

Monday, May 8, 2023

2:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Registration

4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Exhibit Hall Grand Opening and Welcome Reception

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

7:00 a.m. – 7:45 a.m.
Registration & Continental Breakfast (Exhibit Hall)

8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Keynote Session: The Importance of Being… You: Lessons in Authenticity
Brian Murphy

We are all born with a unique soul and a one-of-a-kind voice. But many of us have grown afraid to be ourselves, or it’s been conditioned out of us in the world of work. Ultimately, we need a better approach in order to bring our best selves to work and to life. We need to leverage the power of our individuality and unique gifts through authenticity.

ACDIS was blessed with a unique voice. For the better part of its first 15 years, Melissa Varnavas served our community with her words and actions. Her focus included growing and serving ACDIS local chapters and developing the education—and fun—at the national conference. Through being herself—a poet and a free spirit—Melissa infused ACDIS with the character its members have come to appreciate and love. Melissa lost a brave battle with breast cancer in August 2022, but her spirit continues to be felt in all that the association stands for today. Join former ACDIS Director Brian Murphy as he returns to the stage to discuss the importance of authenticity in work and in life. He will talk about his journey of authenticity, share memories of working with Melissa, and honor her lasting contributions to the organization.

8:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
Presentation of the ACDIS Achievement Awards
Rebecca Hendren and Laurie L. Prescott, MSN, RN, CCDS, CCDS-O, CDIP, CRC

Come celebrate the 2023 winners of the ACDIS Achievement Awards and hear how these incredible individuals have flourished in the profession. We’ll also announce the winning organization in the drawing for $5,000 in CDI education and resources!

9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Breakout Sessions

Track 1: Clinical & Coding
Spinal Procedures: Code It Right!
Leigh Poland, RHIA, CCS, CDIP

In this session, Leigh Poland will discuss the information required to accurately assign the characters of a spinal fusion procedure code. Additionally, this session will identify those procedures performed during a spinal fusion that are considered integral and are not assigned additional codes—versus those that are not considered integral and are assigned separate codes. Poland will also describe common CCs/MCCs seen with these procedures as well as how these procedure codes impact the MS-DRG and reimbursement.

Track 2: CDI Master Class
Expanding Diversity in CDI
Chinedum Mogbo, MBBS, MBA, RHIA, CDIP, CCDS, CCS; Ella Elizee, MSN, APRN, CCDS; and Tiara Minor, RN, BSN, CCDS, moderated by Rebecca Hendren

Join members of the ACDIS Diversity and Inclusion Committee for a panel discussion about diversity and its place in CDI. The panel will discuss the diversity of professionals who work in CDI and how to make the most of everyone’s unique skills; share best practices for hiring more people with diverse backgrounds; and have an engaging discussion about how to help everyone be their authentic selves in the workplace. This lively session will encourage questions from the audience and sharing of personal experiences.

Track 3: Quality & Regulatory
Guidelines for Achieving a Compliant Query Practice: The 2022 AHIMA/ACDIS Update
Tammy Combs, RN, MSN, CDIP, CCS, CNE, Practice Director, AHIMA CDI and Clinical Foundations, and Laurie L. Prescott, RN, MSN, CCDS, CCDS-O, CDIP, CRC, Interim Director, ACDIS

Join AHIMA’s Tammy Combs and ACDIS’ Laurie Prescott for an informative discussion—and opportunity to ask questions—about the evolving landscape of CDI and what led to the changes incorporated in the 2022 update to the seminal AHIMA/ACDIS Guidelines for Achieving a Compliant Query Practice. 

Track 4: Management & Program Development
Grow Your Own Leaders: How CDI Career Ladders Help Your Staff Flourish
Aimee Van Balen, RN, MSN, CCDS, and Dawn Diven, BSN, RN, CCDS, CCDS-O, CDIP

This session brings together two experienced leaders from different organizations to discuss best practices for nurturing and growing your organization’s future leaders. They will share their experiences of building career ladders, discuss how to build a business case to justify a career ladder, and cover how to identify the return on investment for your organization.

Track 5: Innovation & Expansion
Utilization Review and CDI: Collaboration is the Key to Success
Teri Rice, RN, MSN, MBA, MHA, CHC

Identify best practices in building a collaborative relationship between utilization review and CDI that will help to improve reimbursement outcomes. Teri Rice will discuss how barriers to communication can be broken down so that organizations can improve patient status and outcomes.

10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Networking Break (Exhibit Hall)

11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Breakout Sessions

Track 1: Clinical & Coding
Finding Hidden Jewels in Priority and Impact Despite COVID-19 Waves
Gail B. Higle, BS, BSN, RN, CCDS

During the waves of COVID-19, CDI leadership at Piedmont Healthcare took their CDI game to the next level by implementing technology that prioritized worklists and automated query impact return on investment (ROI). Attendees will learn how priority worklists provided the most impactful cases to improve documentation as well as how impact ROI simplified the reconciliation process, providing CDI teams with meaningful query results.

Track 2: CDI Master Class
What’s in a Review?
Fran Jurcak, MSN, RN, CCDS, CCDS-O

Completing medical record review and finding no opportunity is a tedious task that often results in frustration, leading to lack of job satisfaction. This can be especially discouraging when you’ve also implemented physician prompts that reduce query opportunities. This session will offer a deep dive into the “new” review process and provide metrics that you can leverage to determine whether your review process is efficient. 

Track 3: Quality & Regulatory
Malnutrition: The Next Chapter in Vidant’s 7-Year Battle With the OIG
Vaughn Matacale, MD, CCDS; Anderson M. Shackelford, JD; and Ashley Strickland, RDN, LDN, CNSC

What has happened to Vidant since 2018 when the second-level malnutrition appeals were denied? Come join their physician advisor, attorney, and lead dietitian to learn about the next steps Vidant took in their appeals process as well as their ALJ hearing experience. With the recent Office of Inspector General (OIG) recommendations for a nationwide malnutrition audit accepted by CMS, you do not want to miss this session.

Track 4: Management & Program Development
Engaging Physicians Proactively With AI-Powered CAPD and Improving Documentation Integrity With AI-Powered CDI Tools
Penny Jefferson, MSN, RN, CCDS, CDIS, CCS, CRC, CDIP, CHDA, CRCR, and Tami L. McMasters-Gomez, MHL, BS-HIM, CCDS, CDIP

Learn how to improve CDI with AI-powered tools and how to leverage various CDI applications. Penny Jefferson and Tami McMasters-Gomez will also explain how automation impacts KPIs and how you can use data to provide feedback.

Track 5: Innovation & Expansion
Orienting From Afar: Virtual Orientation and Education
Autumn Reiter, MBA, BSN, RN, CCDS, CCDS-O, CDIP, CCS, and Laura Werner, MSN, BA, BSN, DC, CDIP, CCS, CRCR

In this session, attendees will learn the art of orienting CDI specialists, whether new to the field or seasoned professionals. The speakers will describe how to create engaging education pieces, use technology to generate a positive and interactive environment, and build a strong sense of community that guarantees the foundation needed for the CDI specialist to be successful.

12:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Networking Lunch—provided (Exhibit Hall)

1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Breakout Sessions

Track 1: Clinical & Coding
Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Procedures
Laura M. Anderson, RN, BSN, CCDS, and Anita Schmidt, BS, RHIA

This session will cover common procedures and root operations for hepatobiliary and pancreatic conditions, a brief overview of the body system, and related Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting guidance, Coding Clinic issues, and chapter-specific notations. Post-procedural complications and conditions will also be discussed.

Track 2: CDI Master Class
We Went From a C to an A ... and During a Pandemic
Andrea M. Smith, RN, BSN, MSN, CCDS, and Rebecca McDade, BS, RHIA

Washington Regional is a stand-alone hospital that has managed to change its Leapfrog score from a C to an A, proving that you do not need to be a part of a corporate group to earn top marks. Attend this session to understand how providing education and feedback as well as performing pre-bill audits can increase public reporting scores.

Track 3: Quality & Regulatory
What Physicians Need to Know About Complications and Patient Safety Indicators
Timothy Brundage, MD, CCDS, and Cheryl Ericson, RN, MS, CCDS, CDIP

This session will explore the coding, CDI, and provider perspectives on complications. It will also examine the relationship between complication codes and Patient Safety Indicators (PSI). Specifically, this session will examine current coding conventions, coding guidelines, and key Coding Clinic advice in the context of real case examples as a road map to help CDI and coding professionals better communicate with providers about complications and PSIs.

Track 4: Management & Program Development
Centralized Management of CDI: Coming Together and Functioning as One Team
Andrea J. Eastwood, MA, RHIA, and Judy Moreau, RN, BSN, MBA

Andrea Eastwood and Judy Moreau will describe Trinity Health’s journey to centralizing the management of its CDI programs. They will provide an overview of the considerations, tasks, and approvals that went into centralizing 42 CDI programs and bringing 180 CDI specialists together as one team. 

Track 5: Innovation & Expansion
Social Determinants of Health: The Next Level of CDI
Rachel Mack, RN, MSN, CCDS, CDIP, CCS, CRC, and Connie Ryan, MBA, RN, CDIP

Rachel Mack and Connie Ryan will describe the impact that social determinants of health (SDOH) can have on communities and explain ICD-10-CM guidelines for capture of SDOH. They will also propose strategies for optimizing the capture of SDOH without increasing provider burden and use a case study to highlight the impact of SDOH capture.

2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Networking Break (Exhibit Hall)

3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
Breakout Sessions

Track 1: Clinical & Coding
Query Compliance: It’s a Big Deal
Angela Brisson, BSN, RN, CCDS, and Amanda Suttles, BSN, RN, CCDS

This session will discuss the importance of query compliance and an accurate depiction of the patient’s clinical picture in the context of denials. Query construction will be addressed using the three-legged stool approach. Query writing will be reviewed in-depth, with examples of compliant and noncompliant queries.

Track 2: CDI Master Class
Scholarly Activities in CDI: Expanding Your Horizons
Wendy Arafiles, MD, and Amy Sanderson, MD

Do you want to expand your CDI horizons? If so, join Wendy Arafiles and Amy Sanderson in this engaging session about scholarly activities related to CDI. Arafiles and Sanderson will discuss various types of research, the differences between research and quality improvement, how to collaborate with others to strengthen your research project, and strategies for overcoming the challenges of research.

Track 3: Quality & Regulatory
CDI P&Ps Drive Compliance and Build Success
Gloryanne Bryant, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CCDS

CDI programs need to have written policies and procedures. Per the OIG, one key aspect of compliance involves having policies and procedures in place. Understand how a variety of policies and procedures may be necessary to aid the CDI staff and maintain consistency in the query process.

Track 4: Management & Program Development
Establishing a Retrospective Review Process
Suma Chacko, MBA, RHIA, CCS, and Amanda Hughes, BSN, RN, CCDS, CIC

CDI professionals play an important role in ensuring high-quality clinical documentation through comprehensive concurrent medical record review and appropriate queries. To maximize all opportunities, the CDI program at Baylor Scott & White launched a retrospective review process. During this session, the speakers will discuss the different phases of implementation as well as the challenges they faced and the overall outcomes.

Track 5: Innovation & Expansion
Newborn Respiratory Failure and Further Specifications
Danielle Flores, RN-CDIS, and Ashley Impriano, BSN, RN, CDIS

Do you know how to distinguish between types of newborn respiratory failure and when to exclude respiratory failure of the newborn? Danielle Flores and Ashley Impriano will explain the clinical aspects of the various types of newborn respiratory failure and review case examples with query opportunities. Other topics will include chronic lung disease, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, reactive airway disease, laryngomalacia, and tracheomalacia.

4:30 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
General Session: Get Credentialed: An Introduction to the CCDS and CCDS-O
Sharme Brodie, RN, CCDS, CCDS-O, CRC

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

7:00 a.m. – 7:45 a.m.
Continental Breakfast (Exhibit Hall)

8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Keynote Session: The Choice to Flourish
Laurie L. Prescott, RN, MSN, CCDS, CCDS-O, CDIP, CRC, ACDIS Interim Director

When you hear the word flourish, you may think of a flower garden, packed with an abundance of color and healthy green life. There’s another definition of the word, though. A person can flourish when they suddenly perform or develop in an impressively successful way. We all live for those moments when we enter the scene in total control and seize the day. It may be an exchange with a provider, a huge win in a record review, an influential conversation with senior management, or even a presentation at the ACDIS conference. Life is better when we celebrate the moments in which we flourish.

How do we create an environment in which everyone can flourish? We learn, share, and grow. We seek out mentors and offer to mentor others. We seek out new challenges and encourage others to do the same. The ACDIS conference offers a platform to adopt a new attitude, one that inspires you to look for ways to flourish every day.

If we strive to flourish and encourage others to do the same, the CDI profession will continue to grow beyond imagination. In this keynote, ACDIS Interim Director Laurie Prescott will challenge attendees to leave ACDIS 2023 with a plan for how they will perform in an impressively successful way and how they will instill the same drive in others. Flourishing is all about attitude, a willingness to inspire others, and the bravery to step up and put yourself out there.

8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Keynote Session: Leading With an Inclusive Lens: Achieving Organizational Synergy With Diversity and Inclusion
Jermaine M. Davis, PhD

In this engaging and thought-provoking presentation, Dr. Jermaine teaches leaders and frontline employees how to behave, communicate, and think with an inclusive lens to create an environment that’s respectful of everyone. Identifying leadership blind spots is a key component to moving forward in this area. It’s important to engage in courageous conversations about diversity-related issues. Dr. Jermaine teaches people how to address sensitive issues without feeling awkward, guilty, fearful, or uncomfortable. As a masterful storyteller, Dr. Jermaine will share real-world examples, provide practical tips, and highlight inclusive practices so everyone can excel from the inside out.

9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Breakout Sessions

Track 1: Clinical & Coding
Principal Diagnosis Dilemma
Vanessa Elliott, BSN, RN, CCDS

In this session, Vanessa Elliot will outline the guidelines for sequencing a principal diagnosis when signs and symptoms are reported. She will also introduce the PDF approach for determining a principal diagnosis and review case studies with opportunities, including DRGs that can further be clarified.

Track 2: CDI Master Class
The Role of an Advanced CDI Program in a Clinical Validation Denial Appeals Process
Joy Bombay, RN, MSN, MHA, CCDS; Joseph Anthony Cristiano, MD, FACP, CCDS, CHCQM-PHYADV; and Tamara A. Hicks, MHA, BSN, RN,  CCS, CCDS, CCDS-O

Instead of denying certain DRGs, payers have turned to clinical validation denials in which one or more diagnoses are examined for evidence that they existed and were treated during the hospitalization. In this presentation, a multidisciplinary team from Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, including members of its advanced CDI department, will describe the process they have put into place to defend against these DRG downgrades or clinical validation denials.

Track 3: Quality & Regulatory
Transforming the CDI Audit
Imelda Gerard, BSN, RN, CCDS, and Sydni Johnson, BSN, RN, CCDS

CDI audits are essential in providing feedback to team members on performance and compliance and can also be used as a tool for identifying workflow, quality, efficiency, and educational opportunities. This session will explore Banner Health’s historical CDI audit process as well as how it has been evaluated and modernized. The speakers will also describe how Banner Health’s CDI audits help identify opportunities and facilitate education to encourage continuous improvement.

 Track 4: Management & Program Development
Watering the Seeds of Growth Through Collaboration
Elizabeth M. Aguirre, MD, CCDS, and Jared Brock, MBA

In this session, attendees will learn how to leverage collaboration to identify new opportunities, eliminate waste, and achieve growth within the program without additional cost. Attendees will also learn how to anticipate and move past challenges during the collaboration process to achieve their goals. The speakers will explain what growth through collaboration looks like in practice as they share how they’ve developed their denials project at Baylor Scott & White Health.

Track 5: Innovation & Expansion
Medical Decision Making in CDI: What’s in It for Them?
Erica E. Remer, MD, CCDS

January 1, 2023, brought a huge change in the way providers need to document to justify their professional bill. Using medical decision-making (MDM) as the only component can align their interests with those of CDI. Take advantage of this opportunity to influence how providers document by understanding what goes into determining the complexity of MDM and how MDM intersects with CDI.

10:45 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Networking Break (Exhibit Hall)

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Breakout Sessions

Track 1: Clinical & Coding
Neurology CDI Review Tips: Using Your Brain
Cindy Hestir, MSN, RN, CCDS, and Lorilie A. Parker, RRT, MEd

Do you know the common queries for transient ischemic attacks (TIA) and cerebral infarctions? This session will review the optimal principal diagnosis for patients presenting with symptoms related to TIA and cerebral infarctions as well as common query opportunities to clarify secondary diagnoses and therefore optimize severity of illness, mortality indicators, and/or DRGs. 

Track 2: CDI Master Class
21st Century CDI Work: Retaining Your Staff and Growing Your Personal Brand in the New Gig Economy
Brian Murphy and Justin Satterfield

This session will incorporate survey data and the experiences of seasoned staffing professionals to provide an objective look at the state of staffing in the CDI and coding profession. Brian Murphy and Justin Satterfield will leverage their unique background and experiences as they explore emerging jobs, career trends, and creative endeavors as well as offer practical advice to get you inspired and your career moving. If you’re a CDI manager or director looking to hire and retain your staff, or a CDI or coding professional looking to build your personal brand, make an impact, and advance your career while giving back to the industry, this session is for you.

Track 3: Quality & Regulatory
CDI Mortality Reviews: Going Beyond SOI/ROM
Keisha Downes, MBA-HM, RN, CCDS, CCS, and Jill Horruitiner, BSN, RN, CCS, CCDS

Keisha Downes and Jill Horruitiner will discuss how Tufts Medical Center approaches mortality reviews based on risk variables. They will also differentiate between optimizing DRG/SOI/ROM and optimizing risk variables as well as review potential query opportunities for mortality patients.

Track 4: Management & Program Development
In a Post-Covid World: Growing a Clinical Documentation Team From the Ground Up
Johanne E. Brautigam, BSN, RN, CCDS, and Robin McKenzie, RN, CRCR

In the past few years, COVID-19 has changed the healthcare landscape, and CDI has changed with it. CDI specialists proved that they could fulfill their responsibilities remotely, and the option for remote work was undeniably appealing. In this session, hear how one organization built a fully staffed, engaged, and enthusiastic remote CDI team from the ground up.

Track 5: Innovation & Expansion
Clinical Validation for Newborns: New Sepsis and Jaundice Guidelines
Lucinda Lo, MD, and Sheilah J. Snyder, MD

This session will review new clinical practice updates in pediatrics, including febrile infant and hyperbilirubinemia guidelines. Specifically, attendees will learn how the new febrile infant national guidelines have changed clinical practice in pediatrics as well as how to confidently apply updated hyperbilirubinemia guidelines to the query process and clinical validation reviews.

12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Networking Lunch—provided (Exhibit Hall)

1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Breakout Sessions

Track 1: Clinical & Coding
To Query or Not to Query: A Decision-Tree Approach to Sepsis
Heather J. Luton, BSN, RN, CCDS, and Jillian Mazurek, MSN/Ed, RN, CCDS, CCS

CDI departments across the country struggle with identifying and validating sepsis. This is especially difficult when one’s organization does not use a standardized definition. In this session, Heather Luton and Jillian Mazurek will discuss the differences between Sepsis-2 and Sepsis-3 criteria and explore one organization’s approach to navigating these uncertain waters using a decision tree.

Track 2: CDI Master Class
Diagnoses That Challenge Providers: A Physician Advisor Perspective
Timothy Brundage, MD, CCDS, and Hassan Rao, MD, CPC

Providers, CDI professionals, and coders each use a different lens when viewing the health record, and it is often difficult for providers to understand why a query was submitted when they feel their documentation is complete. In this session, participants will gain an in-depth understanding of acute respiratory failure, encephalopathy, and myocardial infarction from both the physician perspective and the CDI physician advisor perspective to help CDI and coding professionals better interact with providers.

Track 3: Quality & Regulatory
Our CDI Impact on Quality Metrics
Rhoda Chism, MHL, RN, CCDS, CCS, CPHQ, and Sheila Duhon, eMBA, RN, CCDS, CCS, A-CCRN

In this session, hear how the speakers recognized that documentation was skewing quality reporting at their organization. In an effort to remedy this, they created a PSI 90 team, evaluated records, and discovered that many of their organization’s reported PSIs and HACs were not accurate. The speakers will also discuss how they reviewed records, brainstormed solutions, and created and implemented a process across their system.

Track 4: Management & Program Development
Flourishing by Design: Building Organizational Structure and Partnerships for a Flourishing CDI Department
Jessica Risner, BSN, RN, CCDS, and Beth Simms, BSN, RN, CCDS

CDI departments are subject to many forces of change: CMS, internal stakeholders, technology, and staff, to name a few. In this session, attendees will understand the impact of industry changes on CDI. They will also learn how to identify partnerships and other tools for long-term success as well as how they can structure their teams to flourish during change.

Track 5: Innovation & Expansion
Flourishing in Pediatric CDI
Joy Bombay, RN, MSN, MHA, CCDS, and Sandra H. Love, MSN, RN, CCDS, CCDS-O, CPC

The pediatric CDI program at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist has enhanced documentation integrity by capturing diagnoses that can improve outcomes for MS-DRGs, APR-DRGs, and denials management. In this session, attendees will learn where to begin in terms of reviewing specific pediatric service lines, achieving buy-in from stakeholders, developing policies and procedures, and providing pediatric education.

2:45 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Networking Break & Exhibit Hall Finale

3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Breakout Sessions

Track 1: Clinical & Coding
Coder Meets CDI: Partners in Denial Prevention
Kimberly M. Huff, BA, COC, CCDS, and Robin Sewell, CDIP, CCS, CPC, CIC

The root cause of many coding and clinical validation denials can be traced to a lack of overlapping knowledge between coding and CDI professionals. But what if the two professions could mentor each other? This session will endeavor to go beyond the basic principles of coding and CDI to facilitate a rock-solid clinical partnership between the two that will contribute to maintaining accuracy in the patient’s record, thus reducing and preventing payer denials.

Track 2: CDI Master Class
Leveraging Data to Improve CDI Outcomes Beyond $$$
Kearstin Jorgenson, MS, CPC, COC; Laura Ogaard, RN, MSN; and Sathya Vijayakumar, MS, MBA

Attendees will learn how the CDI team at Intermountain Healthcare has evolved to efficiently evaluate the impact of documentation for multiple objectives. Intermountain CDI partnered with its data analytics team to construct a report that Intermountain’s CDI RNs now use to quickly evaluate documentation for both financial and risk adjustment purposes. The speakers will demonstrate how these efforts impact the quality of care during care team transitions, consultations, or post-acute care.

Track 3: Quality & Regulatory
Shoot for the Stars: How CDI Can Assist in Obtaining a CMS 5-Star Rating
Cheryl Manchenton, RN, BSN

The healthcare industry's focus on the CMS Five-Star Quality Rating System for inpatient hospitals continues to increase. Understanding the Five-Star methodology is crucial to a CDI team's ability to influence the hospital's quality performance and impact star ratings. Join Cheryl Manchenton as she provides an overview of what is and isn't included in these ratings and how CDI can play a vital part in an organization achieving five stars.

Track 4: Management & Program Development
Evolving Communication in a Changing Work Environment
Karen Lynn Armetta, RN, CCS, CCDS, and Sydney Neblett, CCS, CCDS

This session will review the changes one coding/CDI team implemented when transitioning to a fully remote functional unit. Attendees will learn how to foster a team connection between remote employees, work and collaborate through adversity, and create and develop education opportunities from afar.

Track 5: Innovation & Expansion
Physician Educator Liaison: A Tool Used to Plant a Seed to Grow Physician Relationships and Enable Engagement to Blossom
Jonathan “Brad” Gude, PA-C, MCMSc, and Jamie Lynne Johnson, BSN, CCDS/PA-C, MCMSc

This session will show how AdventHealth West Florida Division identified a gap in the relationship between providers and frontline CDI, leading to a need for provider education and communication enhancement. By developing the role of the CDI physician educator liaison, they fulfilled that need. The speakers will share how they recognized and engaged providers at local and divisional levels. The session will include a provider’s perspective of the change in the professional relationship with CDI that led to provider accountability and collaboration.

Thursday, May 11, 2023

7:00 a.m. – 7:45 a.m.
Continental Breakfast (Riverside East)

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Keynote Session: Flight 2022-2023: Destination Uncharted Territory
Amelia Rose Earhart

There will be successful companies in 2022–2023 and beyond. What’s one thing these teams will need to have in common? A willingness to venture into uncharted territory. In the midst of professional and personal change, teams that take action on bold, resourceful, and never-before-imagined solutions are the ones that will find growth.

As a boundary-pushing around-the-world pilot, Amelia Rose Earhart knows exactly what it takes to venture into uncharted territory; now she’s sharing her one-of-a-kind perspective and strategy with the world. With the odds stacked against her, Earhart brought her own bold idea to life in 2014, piloting a small plane 28,000 nautical miles around the globe. To accomplish this, she self-funded her private, instrument, and commercial flight training; went through open-water survival training; crafted a strategic business plan to design, fund, and market her around-the-world attempt; helped to design and build a custom auxiliary fuel tank for the trip; grew a large and passionate social following to spread the word; raised close to $2 million in partnerships with 28 corporations; founded and ran a charity organization to send numerous teenage girls to flight school; and more. In her keynote, Earhart will share three non-negotiables that she used in her uncharted trip around the globe, all of which are directly transferable to the healthcare world. Earhart’s talk will include actionable takeaways that people can start implementing immediately.

9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Breakout Sessions

Track 1: Clinical & Coding
Full Alert! A Guide to Improving Trauma Service Documentation
Trey LaCharité, MD, FACP, SFHM, CCS, CCDS

While achieving buy-in from trauma service physicians may seem incredibly daunting, it is possible to effect meaningful change. Learn how the CDI program at one academic medical center became routinely involved with their Level I trauma service to obtain and maintain significant documentation improvements. This session will review why you need to intervene with your trauma program, how to effectively engage trauma providers, the most common diagnosis documentation omissions, and the potential results that await your efforts. 

Track 2: CDI Master Class
Building a Resilient CDI Program by Creating a Second-Level Review Team
Aliette Castor, CCS, CCDS, and Marie G. Mathieu, MS, RN, NE-BC, CDIP, CCDS

Hear how Hackensack University Medical Center started a CDI second-level review team that looks at charts post-coding and pre-billing to address revenue and quality, including PSIs and hospital-acquired conditions (HAC). This session will provide guidance for organizations looking to have their own CDI teams conduct this review, as opposed to outside vendors.

Track 3: Quality & Regulatory
Evolve Your CDI Program With the Changing Quality Landscape
Vicki Galyean, RN, BSN, CCDS; Tamara A. Hicks, MHA, BSN, RN, CCS, CCDS, CCDS-O; and Erik Christian Summers, MD, FACP

Join this session to learn how Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist’s clinical documentation excellence (CDE) team leader manages a multidisciplinary team of coding, CDE, and quality experts, as well as how the chief medical officer collaborates with this team on quality review and audits. The speakers will discuss how they overcome challenges and improve quality scores by working together.

Track 4: Management & Program Development
Key Conversations: Cracking the Code of a Multigenerational Workplace
Ella Elizee, MSN, APRN, CCDS, and Gregory Simms, RN, CCDS

As the popularity of the CDI profession booms, younger workers are taking up the clinical spyglass and diving into record review and queries, meaning workforces are more age diverse than ever before. How do you best leverage the strengths of veteran and novice CDI professionals? During this presentation, you will gain insight and skills in developing and molding your CDI program to adapt to the increasingly multigenerational workplace. This session will also provide you the information to create an environment where everyone is comfortable to voice concerns and ideas during important conversations while maintaining a shared purpose and vision.

Track 5: Innovation & Expansion
Engaging New Sites: Community and Critical Access Hospitals
Jessie Roske, MD, and Ann Zierden, RN, CCDS

Participants will hear one health system’s journey to expand its CDI program to critical access and community hospitals. Jessie Roske and Ann Zierden will identify the steps taken, unique quality and financial opportunities, and successes and failures necessary to accomplish the integration of all system hospitals into one flagship CDI program.

10:15 a.m. – 10:35 a.m.
Refreshment Break

10:35 a.m. – 11:35 a.m.
Breakout Sessions

Track 1: Clinical & Coding
What’s in a Drop? Interpreting CBC Results
Rhoda Chism, MHL, RN, CCDS, CCS, CPHQ, and Sylvia Luna, MSN, RN, CCDS

Join this session to understand the components of complete blood count (CBC) lab reports and various disease processes associated with abnormal results. Rhoda Chism and Sylvia Luna will also discuss relevant Coding Clinic issues, erythrocyte indexes, types of white blood cells, and different classifications of anemia.

Track 2: CDI Master Class
Savvy Sequencing Using the Two or More Guideline
Angela Carmichael, MBA, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CCS-P, CRC, and Kelley Sears, MSN, RN, CCS, CCM

You’re confident your team is doing all it can to ensure appropriate reimbursement. You perform CDI and coding quality assurance reviews, diligently review mismatches, and use pre-bill DRG optimization applications, but are you certain that your team is uncovering all the revenue optimization opportunities? In this session, Angela Carmichael and Kelley Sears will review sequencing opportunities that are high value but commonly missed.

Track 3: Quality & Regulatory
From Worst, Our Way to First: Our Quality Improvement Journey
Jennifer Brettler, DO, CHCQM-PHYADV; Kimberly Seery, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CHDA, CPC, CRC; and Danielle N. Thompson, MSM, BSN, RN-BC

In this session, attendees will learn how to leverage a multidisciplinary approach to tackle the most challenging PSIs. Using real-life case examples, the speakers will explore the data elements beyond coding that impact quality metrics and discuss how to improve them. Attendees will walk away with a road map for a successful, data-driven quality improvement plan.

Track 4: Management & Program Development
Denials Management: A CDI Approach to DRG Validations
Marilyn Sanchez, BSN, RN, CCDS, and Sharra Way, ADN, RN, CCDS

In this session, Marilyn Sanchez and Sharra Way will provide strategies for implementing a CDI-based denials management team. Attendees will gain tools for denials management, learn how to identify departments to collaborate with, and articulate the benefits of data collection.

Track 5: Innovation & Expansion
Emerging Opportunities for CDI in the SNF
Kalena Britt, RN, BSN, CCM, CCDS

The change to the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) for skilled nursing facilities (SNF) as of FY 2020 resulted in the increased importance of documentation to support ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes, medical necessity, and more. Hear how SNF administrators can turn to CDI programs to ensure that documentation supports patients’ conditions, thereby driving accurate reimbursement and quality measures and reducing denials.

11:35 a.m.
Conference Adjourns

— Agenda subject to change —

2023 Association of Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialists (ACDIS) Conference

Location

Hyatt Regency Chicago
151 East Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60601

• Room rate: $229.00/night plus taxes and fees
• Hotel cutoff date: Friday, April 14, 2023. Hotel rooms may sell out earlier than the cutoff date, so book early!
• Reservation Center: Guests can visit https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/group-booking/CHIRC/G-EACD or call 800-223-1234 and reference the ACDIS Conference
• Hotel website: https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/illinois/hyatt-regency-chicago/chirc

Simplify Compliance/HCPro has no affiliation with any third-party companies or travel assistance providers. Rooms should be booked directly with the event hotel using the official information provided on the website and in the brochure.

Pricing

• Retail price: $1,099.00
• Membership price: $999.00
• 15% discount when you purchase the main conference and pre-conference together!
  Your discount will automatically appear in your cart.
• Register five attendees for the price of four!
  Your discount will automatically appear in your cart when you register your Team of Five.

2023 Association of Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialists (ACDIS) Conference

Pre-Conference

15% discount when purchased with main conference!

The Physician Advisor’s Role in CDI
Sunday, May 7, 2023 — Monday, May 8, 2023
Join us for The Physician Advisor’s Role in CDI, the nation’s only event dedicated to the CDI physician advisor. Our most popular pre-conference event returns for its 12^th straight year with new content delivered by some of the best physician advisors and educators in the country.

2023 Association of Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialists (ACDIS) Conference

ACDIS Symposium: Outpatient CDI

15% discount when purchased with main conference!

ACDIS Symposium: Outpatient CDI
Sunday, May 7, 2023 — Monday, May 8, 2023
The dynamic event features two days of education and networking dedicated to the fastest-growing area of clinical documentation improvement (CDI): the outpatient setting. This one-of-a-kind conference includes diverse sessions for both managers/leaders and clinical chart reviewers, including how to get started in the ambulatory setting, query techniques and nuances, metrics and analytics, staff training, and demonstrating return on investment. Plus there are networking opportunities galore so you can learn from your peers!

2023 Association of Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialists (ACDIS) Conference

Continuing Education

*Check back to see updated credits

ACDIS
This program has been approved for 13 continuing education units towards fulfilling the requirements of the Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist certification, offered as a service of the Association of Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialists (ACDIS).

ACCME
HCPro is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

HCPro designates this educational activity for a maximum of 13 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

AHIMA
This program has been approved for 13 continuing education unit(s) (CEUs) for use in fulfilling the continuing education requirements of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). Granting of Approved CEUs from AHIMA does not constitute endorsement of the program content or its program provider.

ANCC
HCPro is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

13 contact hours for nurses are available for this activity.

NAHRI
This program has been approved for 13 continuing education units towards fulfilling the requirements of the Certification in Healthcare Revenue Integrity (CHRI), offered as a service of the National Association of Healthcare Revenue Integrity (NAHRI).

2023 Association of Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialists (ACDIS) Conference

Sponsors/Exhibitors

Platinum

Gold

Silver

Exhibitor

ACS (Administrative Consultant Services)
AHIMA
Brundage Group
CDI Answers
Claro Healthcare
Clinintell, Inc.
Columbia Southern University
Comforce Health
CorroHealth
e4/Intellis
Faircode
Guidehouse
Harmony Healthcare
Intero Group
Kiwi-Tek
Managed Resources, Inc.
Maxim Healthcare Staffing
Mayo Clinic
Medovent Solutions
Mindseeker
Norwood
OnPoint Healthcare Solutions
PayerWatch, Inc.
RCM Health Care Services
Relias
Saince
Semantic Health
SmarterDX