Local chapter update: New year, new you?

The gyms are crowded this time of year. The first week of January, not so much. Second week of January, traffic picks up. Third week of January, the gym gets packed as people begin to realize that the month is almost passed them by and their get healthy, get thin, get more involved resolutions may have been more talk around the water cooler than glasses of water downed. ACDIS local chapters don’t necessarily need to craft a host of new resolutions for themselves but the new year does represent an opportunity to review processes and procedures.

Local chapter leaders should take a look at the online Leadership Toolkit where a collection of sample bylaws live. If the group already has a set of bylaws, great! Look through them and adjust or clarify items as needed and be sure to leverage the bylaws to address any thorny concerns that may have arisen over the course of the past year.

If the group doesn’t currently have a set of bylaws, consider reviewing those in the Toolkit and/or reaching out to a member of the Chapter Advisory Board for assistance. (By the way, the Chapter Advisory Board is also seeking volunteers.) Bylaws can serve as a clarifying recruitment tool for new or additional leadership volunteers as it frequently outlines roles and responsibilities associated with chapter duties. It also serves as a map for the team as the year progresses.

Additionally, while many chapters and networking groups do use the beginning of the year to call for leadership transitions, changing core leadership members at this time isn’t an ACDIS requirement. ACDIS actually recommends staggering leadership transitions so there is always someone serving on the leadership team who has at least a year’s worth of experience under his or her belt.

ACDIS does, however, request that members of the core leadership team review the formal Local Chapter Agreement Form and return a signed copy by January 30. This ensures that the leadership team is informed of any changes year-over-year related to expectations for the chapters as well as to the benefits of local chapter membership and volunteer leadership.

So, while local chapters and their volunteer leaders don’t need to reinvent themselves, an extra glass of water from time to time never hurts. Feel free to skip the gym tonight but don’t skip these upcoming opportunities to learn from colleagues on the local level. That’s one resolution every CDI professional should definitely keep.

January:

• The New Orleans ACDIS chapter meets Wednesday, January 15, 4-5 p.m., at Semolina's at Clearview. For information, contact Judi Dowling (judith.dowling@ochsner.org).
• The Oklahoma ACDIS chapter meets Thursday, January 16, 12:30-3:30 p.m., at Ascension/St. John. Participants are encouraged to bring their own lunch and beverage to the meeting. For information, contact Amanda Just (Amanda.just@integrisok.com).
• The Hudson Valley New York ACDIS chapter meets Thursday, January 16, 2-4 p.m., via webinar. For information, contact Kerry Seekircher (kseekircher@northwell.edu).
• The St. Louis, Missouri ACDIS chapter meets via webinar Friday, January 17, at 1 p.m., for “CDI/ACDIS State of the Industry,” featuring ACDIS Editorial Director Melissa Varnavas. For information, contact Linda Canoy (linda.canoy@bjc.org).
• The Minnesota ACDIS chapter meets Wednesday, January 22, 1-2 p.m., for a webinar titled “Why the Payers are Winning and You Are Not,” featuring Ernie de los Santos and Glenn Krauss. For information, contact Heidi Hillstrom (Heidi.hillstrom@slhduluth.com).
• The Ohio ACDIS chapter meets via webinar Friday, January 24, at noon, for “CDI/ACDIS State of the Industry,” featuring ACDIS Editorial Director Melissa Varnavas. For information, contact Linda Canoy (linda.canoy@bjc.org).
• The Michigan ACDIS chapter meets Wednesday, January 29, 12-1 p.m. for a webinar titled “Leveraging Epic Tools for Optimal Risk Adjustment,” with Rachel Phillips and Jennifer Arend. For information, contact Patty Vitasinksi (pvitasi2@hfhs.org).

February:

• The Arizona ACDIS chapter meets Friday, February 7, 12-1:15 p.m., for a webinar titled “How to Handle the Problematic Problem List,” featuring Deanne Wilk who presented on the topic during the 2019 ACDIS Symposium Outpatient CDI event. For information, contact ME Van Gelder (mvangelder@honorhealth.com).

March:

• The Tennessee ACDIS chapter meets Friday, March 27 at Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation in Memphis. For additional information, contact Kristie Perry (kristie.perry@erlanger.org).

April:

• The Arizona ACDIS chapter meets Friday, April 17, 12-1:15 p.m., for a webinar titled “Joining Forces: How Ambulatory CDI Can Collaborate with Inpatient Efforts,” featuring Jennifer Boles and Lori Ganote who presented on the topic during the 2019 ACDIS Symposium Outpatient CDI event. For information, contact ME Van Gelder (mvangelder@honorhealth.com).