Conference Conversations: What are ACDIS speakers looking forward to most?
“It’s in Vegas. Need I say more?” jokes William E. Haik, MD, FCCP, CDIP, who presents “Sepsis: 1, 2, 3—RAC Attack!” on Day 1, in Track 1, at 1:45 p.m.
Hardly a week goes by without a mention of sepsis in the medical literature, whether peer-reviewed scientific journals or non-peer-reviewed medical publications. Recently, more evidence has surfaced that seems to support the importance of Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) in the risk assessment of sepsis patients, according to a recent White Paper on the topic from the ACDIS Advisory Board. And there continues to be conflict between clinical language, coding language, and the language required by quality assessment programs. (Read the related White Paper on the topic on the ACDIS website.)
But Haik, a founding member of the ACDIS Advisory Board, has a knack for breaking complicated clinical and coding conditions into manageable pieces of information, providing concrete examples of what clinical indicators CDI specialists should look for in the medical record and how to best craft a query to convey the patient’s condition in codeable terminology. Just as he has a knack for a quick comeback and rich and hearty laughter.
“We arm wrestle during my talk,” he says. “Just kidding,” he adds. “In reality, I’m trying to get participants to think inside the box! I want to get everyone to think clinically as a physician would.”
Striking a serious tone, he adds that presentations on quality, hierarchical condition categories, and value-based purchasing represent topics of interest. “I’m really looking forward to expanding my knowledge,” he says.
He’s not alone. The 10th annual conference features many physician presentations including that of Ronald Hirsch, MD, vice president of the regulations and education group at AccretivePAS Clinical Solutions, who presents on Day 2, Track 4, 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Hirsch knows how CMS’ regulations and guidance can confuse even the most astute clinician with its vague and often contradictory instructions. Nevertheless, these regulations affect everyone—doctor, patient, bedside nurse, case manager, CDI, billing and coding, even healthcare executives.
While his presentation “Medicare Regulation Update: Practical Application for CDI Professionals” promises to shed a light on this often opaque information, Hirsch is looking forward to learning just as much from his peers and other breakout sessions throughout the conference.
“With the breadth of courses available at the conference, I expect to walk out with a much deeper understanding of CDI. I can’t wait for the pre-conference physician advisor Boot Camp. It will be an honor to hear from Erica Remer and James Kennedy, two of the most renowned physicians in CDI,” Hirsch says.
Fellow physician, Nicole Fox, MD, MPH, FACS, CPE, medical director of pediatric trauma and CDI at Cooper University Health Care in Camden, New Jersey “cannot wait to hear about other program’s successes,” she says.
Fox, who presents “Playing to Win: How to Engage Physicians in Clinical Documentation Improvement,” on Day 3, Track 3, from 11 a.m. to noon, says she’s particularly interested in ambulatory CDI as Cooper University plans for its next area of growth and expansion.
Just as Fox looks forward to hearing other people’s CDI success stories, she’s excited to share her own, too. “One of the strengths of our program is physician engagement,” she says. “Physicians are never taught how to document, so they struggle with this much-needed skill set and are often hesitant to ask for help.”
Cooper University’s CDI program, however, tracks a 100% response rate to its CDI department queries, a rate at least partially attributed to the peer-to-peer education Fox helped establish.
“I think one of the general challenges with physician engagement is not recognizing that the best way for physicians. There is no substitute for a practicing physician embedded in your CDI program who will proactively educate peers and handle any concerns that arise,” she says.
Cooper University also has a remote component to its CDI program. Past ACDIS Achievement Award winner Kara Masucci, RN, MSN, CCDS, and her manager Rebecca R. Willcutt, RN, BSN, CCS, CCDS who both work at Cooper University, join Boston Medical Center’s Lara M. Faustino, RN, BSN, CCDS for a panel discussion on Day 2, Track 2, at 9:15-10:15 a.m., for a panel discussion on remote CDI efforts.
Like Fox, Faustino’s looking forward to learning from industry experts and peers and, of course, “networking! I always enjoy learning from a variety of CDI professionals from across the nation and it always amazes me how very similar we are, or how vastly different we approach the same types of challenges.”
When Jeff Morris, RN, BSN, CCDS, now CDI supervisor at University of South Alabama Health System in Mobile, first started in the role it was as a liaison between coding and physician staff to provide documentation education related to ICD-10 specificity. With numerous ICD-10 delays, however, Morris transformed the program, added staff, and expanded into focus areas such as CDI in obstetrics and gynecology, which he’ll explore on Day 1, Track 5, at 3:45 p.m.
“I am most looking forward to the networking and collaboration that occurs between CDI professionals during these few days. I always leave the conference refreshed and full of new ideas to bring back and implement at my facility,” Morris says.
There’s a lot to get excited about this year, especially with the 10th anniversary festivities. What sessions are you looking forward to most? What’s your favorite part of the ACDIS conference every year?