Conference Update: Speaker Q&A
The 2016 ACDIS conference is only 18 days away! The ACDIS office is buzzing as we enter the final weeks of preparation. There is still time to sign up for the event. Remember, register a team of four and the fifth person attends for free! Call our customer service team for assistance 877-727-1728.
To view the full agenda and details, download the conference brochure. As you start to plan your itinerary, we’re we are interviewing a handful of speakers to give you a feel for the sessions. This week, we spoke with Andrea Johnson, RN, BSN, CCDS, who will present “Development of an inpatient rehabilitation program.”
Q: Tell me a little bit about your experiences developing a CDI program in the inpatient rehabilitation setting.
A: The inpatient rehab CDI program ground work was already a few months underway when I joined the program. It was initiated by my administrator, my director, and my CDI specialist predecessor, a former rehab nurse who was newly learning CDI. Since I joined the program, we have been able to upgrade to an electronic CDI query form and acquire CDI and coding software for the four rehab facilities we cover. We provided ICD-10 education to physicians, utilization review nurses, and social workers. ICD-10 education is ongoing, of course, but it was essential during the period of transition from ICD-9. These experiences were very rewarding for me. It’s still very exciting, as I am frequently adding or tweaking new processes. Every day I learn something new.
Q: What can attendees expect from your session?
A: The attendees at my session will have an inside look at the mysteries of rehab CDI. Rehab was such a surprise to me. It’s quite different than what I assumed. I can’t wait to share these differences and similarities with my CDI colleagues. I hope to sharpen their interest in the rehab CDI program.
Q: Who should attend your presentation and why?
A: This presentation is for just about everyone: the administrator or manager who is interested in starting or pitching a rehab CDI program; the CDI staff who want to learn something new; or the coder who wants to maintain both active inpatient and outpatient coding skills. Rehab CDI is so dynamic. No two weeks are ever the same. It is challenging and very rewarding.
Q: What do you think is the most important quality for a CDI professional to have?
A: Be studious. You must love to learn and have the self-confidence to share what you’ve learned with your colleagues. I am always reading or attending webinars to build upon my expertise. I love hearing about new processes of treatment, or new regulations and coding guidelines, and deciphering how I can use my new knowledge to impact outcomes within my department.
Q: What are you most looking forward to about this year’s conference? What is your favorite part of the conference?
A: This will be my very first national conference. I am looking forward to it all! I am the only CDI specialist among the rehabs that I cover, so I look forward to mingling with CDI colleagues. It would be really exciting to find other rehab CDI specialists at the conference. So here is an official call out to all the rehab CDI specialists going to the conference: seek me out!