2025 ACDIS Encore: Clinical & Coding Online

2025 ACDIS Encore: Clinical & Coding Online

August 12-14, 2025

Were you unable to attend the 2025 ACDIS conference in Orlando? Or maybe you were there but were forced to pick between sessions happening at the same time. Well, this is your opportunity to catch what you missed!

Join us Tuesday, August 12 through Thursday, August 14, 2025, for this special virtual event featuring sessions recorded live during the 2025 ACDIS Conference—the entire Clinical & Coding track.

This much-loved staple of the annual conference features core clinical and coding components vital to all those engaged in ongoing medical record reviews. Seek inspiration from powerful, thought-provoking, and must-attend sessions such as:

• A Systematic Approach to Finding CDI Query Opportunities
• Optimize Sepsis Documentation for Accurate Quality, Revenue, and Patient Outcomes
• Acute Skin Failure: Our Largest Organ Fails Too!
• Illuminating Social Determinants of Health: A Call for Better Outcomes
• And much more!

Recharge your soul and revive your passion for the profession at ACDIS Encore: Clinical & Coding Online!

*Once the event has concluded, you’ll have access to all recordings for 60 days.

2025 ACDIS Encore: Clinical & Coding Online

Virtual Conference Day 1 — Tuesday, August 12, 2025

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Optimize Sepsis Documentation for Accurate Quality, Revenue, and Patient Outcomes
Beth Wolf, MD, CPC, CCDS
As sepsis continues to be a leading cause of mortality in hospitalized patients, accurate identification and documentation are crucial. This session will empower you to refine your query practices, ensuring they align with current diagnostic criteria, and gain insights into the financial and regulatory implications of sepsis documentation. Learn strategies to solidify the role of CDI in this key clinical initiative and ultimately improve patient outcomes.

1:10 p.m. – 2:10 p.m.
A Systematic Approach to Finding CDI Query Opportunities
Kathleen Joseph, RN, BSN, CCDS, and Diksha Sharma, MD, CCDS
Perfect for both novice and advanced CDI specialists, this session will provide a systematic and easy-to-follow guide to ensure thorough chart reviews, thereby preventing missed CDI opportunities. Detailed case examples will be utilized to explain the concept of systematic review. Furthermore, the discussion will cover various “hidden” areas in the record, such as diagnostics, pathology reports, and ancillary staff notes, which CDI specialists can leverage to identify and support query opportunities.

2:20 p.m. – 3:20 p.m.
Unwinding Acute Myocardial Injury, Demand Ischemia, and Acute Myocardial Infarctions
Dawn Valdez, RN, CCDS, CDIP, CRC
This session will help CDI and coding professionals identify the differences between acute myocardial injury, demand ischemia, and acute myocardial infarctions through a discussion of basic anatomy and diagnostic testing. Attendees will also gain a better understanding of troponin calculations and the different types of acute myocardial infarctions. Plus, the speaker will discuss relevant coding guidance and Coding Clinic content.

3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
The ICD-11 Odyssey: Charting the Course for Implementation Readiness
Karla VonEschen, MS, CPC, CPMA, CCDS-O
Several countries are in the process of implementing ICD-11, and, in the next five to seven years, ICD-11 is projected to replace ICD-10-CM in the United States. This session will compare ICD-10 and ICD-11 as well as examine ICD-11 chapters, significant code and documentation changes, and opportunities for physician documentation improvement. The speaker will also discuss challenges with implementation and how organizations can begin preparing for the change now.

Virtual Conference Day 2 — Wednesday, August 13, 2025

The ICD-11 Odyssey: Charting the Course for Implementation Readiness
Karla VonEschen, MS, CPC, CPMA, CCDS-O
Several countries are in the process of implementing ICD-11, and, in the next five to seven years, ICD-11 is projected to replace ICD-10-CM in the United States. This session will compare ICD-10 and ICD-11 as well as examine ICD-11 chapters, significant code and documentation changes, and opportunities for physician documentation improvement. The speaker will also discuss challenges with implementation and how organizations can begin preparing for the change now.

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Brain Compression, Cerebral Edema, and Associated Conditions
Amy Sanderson, MD; Sheilah Snyder, MD, FAAP; and Lucinda Lo, MD
The field of neurologic illness is full of descriptive, nonspecific terms that may not easily translate to diagnosis codes, creating challenges for CDI specialists and hospital coders. Join three pediatric critical care and hospital medicine physicians in a discussion about brain compression and cerebral edema, exploring what these terms mean to providers and how to successfully interpret clinical documentation.

1:10 p.m. – 2:10 p.m.
Key Takeaways From KDIGO 2024 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of Chronic Kidney Disease
Edgar V. Lerma, MD, FACP, FASN, FPSN (Hon), and Lourdes Albino Cacanindin, MD, CCDS
This session will tackle the evaluation and management of people with or at risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) based on the recently published KDIGO 2024 Clinical Practice Guideline. The speakers will discuss how to classify CKD, distinguish between CKD and acute kidney disease, and analyze the accuracy of the estimated glomerular filtration rate. Plus, attendees will understand the different approaches to managing patients with or at risk of CKD as well as the value of a comprehensive treatment strategy.

2:20 p.m. – 3:20 p.m.
FIGHT CANCER: Oncology Overview and Query Opportunities
Cindy Labins, MSN, RN, CCDS, and Adriana Cecchini, MSN, RN, CIC
This session will provide attendees with an overview of the different oncology populations and a step-by-step approach to conducting an oncology chart review. The speakers will explain how to identify common diagnoses and review the impact on severity of illness/risk of mortality and quality metrics such as Vizient and Elixhauser. Attendees will also learn the FIGHT CANCER acronym and how it can assist in query opportunities.

Virtual Conference Day 3 — Thursday, August 14, 2025

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Acute Skin Failure: Our Largest Organ Fails Too!
Keisha Downes, MBA-HM, BSN, RN, CCDS, CCS, and Okemena Ewoterai, RN, BSN, MA, CCS, CDIP, CCDS
This session will provide a review of skin disorders that impact patients during an inpatient stay, including pressure injuries, general wounds, and skin failure. Learn how to differentiate skin disorders as well as identify the etiology of skin failure. Plus, gain a stronger understanding of relevant documentation and coding considerations.

1:10 p.m. – 2:10 p.m.
What You Aorta Know About Cardiac Surgery: Understanding Open Interventions, Cardiopulmonary Bypass, and Implications for the CDI Review Process
Alicia Pinsonneault, BSN-RN, CCDS, CRCR
This session will discuss the various types of open interventions, including coronary artery bypass grafts, valve repairs/replacements, thoracic aorta aneurysm interventions, and implantable left ventricular assist devices. The speaker will review common principal diagnoses and procedures as well as corresponding surgical DRG assignment and explore the pathophysiological changes and effects of cardiopulmonary bypass use and what this can mean following surgery. An analysis of common secondary diagnoses following open cardiac surgery, potential query opportunities, and case study investigations will allow attendees to better understand how cardiac surgery and the effects of cardiopulmonary bypass use impact the CDI review process.

2:20 p.m. – 3:20 p.m.
Illuminating Social Determinants of Health: A Call for Better Outcomes
Alma Yap, BSN, RN, CCDS, CDIP, CCS, and Thea Campbell, MBA, RHIA
Enhanced data collection, reporting, and analysis of social determinants of health (SDOH) provides valuable insights into the relationship between social needs or factors and health outcomes. Furthermore, SDOH data inform policy decisions, guide public health programs and funding allocations, and support initiatives to promote health equity. In this session, learn how the expanded use of Z codes for SDOH can drive significant improvements in public health by fostering a more integrated approach to healthcare that addresses both clinical and social needs.

— Agenda subject to change —

2025 ACDIS Encore: Clinical & Coding Online

Speakers

Lourdes Albino Cacanindin, MD, CCDS, is a seasoned CDI specialist with 14 years of inpatient CDI experience at Sutter Health. She utilized her medical degree for almost 15 years in Manila, Philippines, specializing in pediatrics. In April 2010, she journeyed into the HIM world to become a clinical documentation reviewer at Sutter Delta Medical Center. She obtained her CCDS certification in 2012. She has attended the ACDIS conference each year since 2010, presenting six posters and receiving the 2024 Melissa Varnavas Spirit of Service ACDIS Achievement Award. She is a member of the ACDIS Diversity and Inclusion Committee as well as the California ACDIS local chapter. She is a distinguished member of and esteemed CME speaker for the University of Santo Tomas Medical Alumni Association, where she graduated magna cum laude in pre-med.

Thea Campbell, MBA, RHIA, is an innovative servant leader committed to achieving top performance by leveraging a compelling vision of efficiency, growth, and diversity. She served as the senior director of a health information department at a large academic medical center in the western United States before becoming a vice president over the health system’s mid-revenue cycle. She has also worked in consulting, specializing in healthcare-related revenue cycle improvement and HIM. Her experience includes workflow efficiency and redesign, outsourcing oversight as a vice president, and leadership of all sizes of HIM departments. She has expertise in privacy and information sharing, revenue cycle management, implementation and optimization of technology, CDI, focused regulatory compliance, and computer-assisted coding. She earned her bachelor’s in HIM at the College of Saint Scholastica and her master’s in business administration at the University of Colorado–Denver. She serves as a member of the AHIMA Board of Directors as well as president-elect.

Adriana Cecchini, MSN, RN, CIC, CDI specialist at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, has been a nurse for more than 15 years. She has experience in both acute care and infectious disease/public health. She has served as a co-chair for the Massachusetts ACDIS chapter and is on the Board of Directors for Health Innovations.

Keisha Downes, MBA-HM, BSN, RN, CCDS, CCS, is the vice president of middle revenue cycle for Beth Israel Lahey Health, based in Massachusetts. Downes also is an adjunct professor, teaching courses in coding and HIM. Her volunteer experience includes contributing to the AHIMA CCS Standard Setting Panel as a subject matter expert and to the ACDIS Advisory Board as an elected member for the 2024–2027 term. Downes co-authored the ACDIS/AHIMA Guidelines for Achieving a Compliant Query Practice—2022 Update and was the reviewer for the 2024 and 2025 editions of the ACDIS Pocket Guide. A nurse for 21 years, she attained her BSN from Liberty University and her MBA with healthcare management concentration from Western Governor’s University. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Medical Science in healthcare leadership at Northeastern University.

Okemena Ewoterai, RN, BSN, MA, CCDS, CDIP, CCS, is the director of CDI at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York. She has over 15 years of CDI experience and over 20 years of nursing experience. As part of her CDI experience, she has educated nurses and providers on clinical documentation techniques and workflows, and engaged in software selection and quality review processes (PSI, Elixhauser, and HCC). Ewoterai has published practice briefs and white papers for ACDIS and AHIMA, including co-authoring Clinical Validation: The Next Level of CDI and ACDIS/AHIMA Guidelines for Achieving a Compliant Query Practice—2019 Update. Ewoterai has been an officer in the Greater New York ACDIS local chapter, served on the ACDIS Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and is currently a member of the ACDIS Advisory Board. She has also been a guest on the ACDIS Podcast.

Kathleen Joseph, RN, BSN, CCDS, is a CDI quality analyst and educator at Franciscan Alliance hospitals in Indiana. She has over 30 years of experience in the nursing industry, including 17 years in the field of CDI. She is passionate about teaching and strongly believes that true learning can only happen by sharing knowledge. As a part of the CDI QA team, Joseph develops and provides education to all levels of CDI specialists and assists with education for the coding department as needed.

Cindy Labins, RN, MSN, CCDS, is a CDI specialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) in Boston. She has over 31 years of nursing experience with a clinical focus in oncology and critical care. In addition to her clinical experience, Labins has held positions as an assistant nurse manager, a nurse manager, and a coordinator for an outpatient pulmonary hypertension clinic. In addition to her primary CDI role, Labins has participated in several committees to support CDI best practice not only at BWH but across the Mass General health system. Labins was a former co-lead for the Massachusetts ACDIS chapter, has presented a poster at an ACDIS national conference, and is currently the team lead at BWH.

Edgar V. Lerma, MD, FACP, FASN, FPSN (Hon), earned his degree from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines, and completed a fellowship in nephrology and hypertension at Northwestern University in Chicago. Lerma has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and presentations. At present, he holds the rank of clinical professor of medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago and educational coordinator for the section of nephrology with Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Lerma is also Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes knowledge translation lead and social media ambassador. His research interests include chronic kidney disease, diabetic kidney disease, hypertension, and dialytic therapies.

Lucinda Lo, MD, is a practicing pediatric hospitalist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, which she joined in 2003, and a clinical associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Lo is board certified with the American Board of Pediatrics in both general pediatrics and pediatric hospitalist medicine. In addition, Lo is currently the physician advisor for CDI and CM. She provides education to medical staff on topics related to CDI, provides feedback about their clinical documentation, participates in utilization management and denial reviews, and assists in the formulation of associated institutional policy and practice. Lo has presented on CDI at various national conferences, including ACDIS, NPAC, PAS, and PHM.

Alicia Pinsonneault, BSN-RN, CCDS, CRCR, graduated from New Mexico State University in 2013. Pinsonneault’s eight years of nursing experience was primarily in the cardiovascular ICU, where she assisted cardiac surgery patients and managed cardiac assistance devices, including Impella, Tandem Heart®, ProtekDuo®, IABP, and implantable LVAD/RVADs. She also cross-trained as an ECMO specialist. In July 2021, Pinsonneault transitioned to CDI, where she has been reviewing cardiac surgery and cardiac interventional cases for an Ensemble Health Partners client in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the last four years.

Amy Sanderson, MD, is a pediatric critical care physician at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) and is an assistant professor in anesthesia at Harvard Medical School. She was the physician advisor for the BCH CDI program for eight years. Sanderson has presented at several national conferences, published scholarly articles on medical documentation, and contributed to the book Pediatric CDI: Building Blocks for Success. In addition, she is a founding member of the Pediatric Documentation Research Collaborative, a research group that focuses on documentation-related issues in pediatric hospitals.

Diksha Sharma, MD, CCDS, is a physician clinical documentation specialist at the Franciscan Alliance hospital system in Indiana. In her role, Sharma acts as a physician champion, connecting clinical caregivers with the mid-revenue cycle teams. Sharma educates the medical staff on clinical documentation and coding initiatives, emphasizing how best practices in documentation can impact all facets of hospital metrics, including quality outcomes. Additionally, she serves in the role of vice president of the Indianapolis ACDIS local chapter and has presented at several local conferences.

Sheilah Snyder, MD, FAAP, is a pediatric hospitalist and CDI physician advisor for Children’s Nebraska in Omaha, Nebraska. The majority of her work is clinical, but her main motivation is to improve clinical outcomes for her patients and accurately document their care. Snyder serves as a physician champion for the hospital’s Epic inpatient team, which allows her to leverage the EMR to help produce excellent CDI outcomes. She has presented on pediatric CDI at the ACDIS conference for several years and is a contributor to the book Pediatric CDI: Building Blocks for Success.

Dawn Valdez, RN, CCDS, CDIP, CRC, works at Accuity Healthcare as a senior director of CDI education and has more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry. Her experience includes critical care nursing, legal nurse consulting, and CDI education/management for a large hospital system. She was also an educator/instructor for ACDIS until 2023 when she left to join Accuity Healthcare. Valdez has been a guest on the ACDIS Podcast; additionally, she authored the CDI Specialist’s Training Guide, Third Edition, as well as articles for CDI Journal, CDI Strategies, and JustCoding newsletters. Valdez has presented on several topics at ACDIS virtual symposiums and continues to present for ACDIS and AHIMA state associations.

Karla VonEschen, MS, CCDS-O, CPC, CPMA, has been a certified coder since 2002 and is currently a clinical development analyst with Solventum Health Information Systems, a position she has held since May 2022. During her healthcare career, VonEschen also has held positions with health maintenance organizations, consulting firms, and healthcare technology companies. Her experience includes operationalizing benefits, E/M auditing, coding education, and natural language processing. In 2015, she accepted a position as a 3M (now Solventum) coding analyst before transitioning to her current role. In August 2022, VonEschen obtained her master’s degree in HIM from Southern New Hampshire University, and in October 2023, she passed her CCDS-O exam. She has published coding articles and blogs, coding articles, and presented webinars on multiple topics.

Beth Wolf, MD, CPC, CCDS, is board certified in internal medicine, palliative medicine, and clinical informatics. She spent 20 years at the bedside and 10 years as a CDI physician advisor in a four-hospital healthcare system, serving as the primary liaison to the medical staff on coding and documentation issues. She currently trains physicians on the impact of their documentation and works to improve data reliability and align CDI efforts with physician and system priorities.

Alma Yap, BSN, RN, CCDS, CDIP, CCS, began as a nurse extern in the neurosurgical unit while pursuing an associate degree in nursing. As a progressive care certified nurse, she practiced in multispecialty inpatient care settings. In 2013, Yap transitioned to a CDI role where she has since worked closely with residents and hospitalist service lines in large teaching hospitals. Yap graduated with a BSN from Arizona’s Grand Canyon University in 2014 and is completing a master’s in healthcare quality and safety in the fall. She actively volunteers as a CEU coordinator for the California ACDIS local chapter, facilitating bimonthly educational webinars for the HIM and CDI communities.

2025 ACDIS Encore: Clinical & Coding Online

Who Should Attend

• Clinical documentation integrity specialists
• CDI specialists
• CDI staff
• Inpatient coders
• CDI managers/directors
• HIM managers/directors
• Case managers
• Revenue integrity specialists
• Physician advisors
• Physician champions

2025 ACDIS Encore: Clinical & Coding Online

Learning Outcomes

• Outline how to perform a comprehensive chart review to identify query opportunities and facilitate optimal DRG assignment. 
• Evaluate the various criteria for diagnosing sepsis.  
• Describe types of skin wounds, considering documentation and coding concerns. 
• List effective strategies and tools for assessing social determinants of health and implementing clinical and coding workflows. 
• Contrast the coding, documentation, and structural differences between

2025 ACDIS Encore: Clinical & Coding Online

Pricing

Retail price: $399.00
Membership price: $379.00
2025 ACDIS National Conference attendee price: $299.00

Group pricing is as follows:

• 4-10 attendees = each attendee receives 10% discount off retail price
• 11-15 attendees = each attendee receives 15% discount off retail price
• 16-20 attendees = each attendee receives 20% discount off retail price
• 21+ attendees = each attendee receives 25% discount off retail price

2025 ACDIS Encore: Clinical & Coding Online

Continuing Education

Coming Soon!