Local Chapter Update: Volunteer leaders dedicate time and energy into networking events

ACDIS local chapters come in many shapes and sizes. Some meet regularly by phone. Others meet for a couple of hours in the morning for an educational session and some networking before returning to their routines after lunch. Still others meet quarterly for all-day, or nearly all-day, events.

And local chapters are growing.

In ACDIS’ early years, there were only three or four state, or regionally, focused networking groups. Those groups gathered a dozen or two dozen participants. Fast forward nine years and some of those groups now have rosters with hundreds of names and host meetings with hundreds of participants. The Northeast CDI and Coding Symposium in Massachusetts on July 28 had more than 180 registrants. The upcoming North Carolina event had nearly 100 registered at last count.

With such growth often comes some growing pains. As costs for hosting events rise, the volunteer leaders look to sponsors to help defray the costs and begin to collect dues from their membership. Such activities require a level of forethought and formality. Volunteer leaders need to draft chapter bylaws, create policies for vendor involvement, research local laws related to becoming a non-profit organization, and organize their team to handle the financial responsibilities required.

There is no direct financial relationship between ACDIS national and these local organizations. Although national provides an extensive toolkit of sample policies and procedures, bylaws, and event tips, the volunteers who organize local events are just that, volunteers. They donate their time, energy, know-how, and love of CDI to help advance the profession. If you have the opportunity to attend one of these upcoming events, please seek out these amazing people and thank them for their efforts.

August

• The Philadelphia-area Pennsylvania/New Jersey ACDIS Chapter meets Thursday, August 4, at 8 a.m., at Our Lady of Lourdes in Camden. For information, contact Gina Stewart at gstewart@e4-services.com.
• The North Carolina ACDIS Chapter meets Friday, August 5, at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, in Winston Salem. Registration is a two-step process: First, complete the conference registration form, then, enter your NC ACDIS registration fees, online, here. For information, email NCACDIS@gmail.com.
• The Georgia ACDIS Chapter meets Friday, August 12, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Tift Regional Medical Center in Tifton. For information, contact Julie_bell@memorial.org.
• The Indiana and Kentucky ACDIS Chapters join for a regional event Friday, August 19, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Louisville (Kentucky) Marriott East. Click here to read the complete agenda. Click here to download the registration form. Deadline for registration is August 5. For information, contact Rita Fields at rita.fields@BHSI.COM.
• The Utah ACDIS Chapter meets Wednesday, August 17, at the University of Utah for a discussion with Russell Vinik, MD, Medical Director for CDI at the facility. For information, contact Molly Evans atMolly.Evans@hsc.utah.edu.
• The New Jersey networking group meets on Friday, August 19, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Centrastate Medical Center in Freehold. Glenn Krauss, director of enterprise solutions at ZiRMED will present “CDI- Achieving the Potential.” To register, click here. For additional information, email Deborah Gardner-Brown at deborah@rra-inc.com.
• The California ACDIS Chapter meets August 24, 9 a.m., via webinar, to discuss “Leveraging the physician value based payment modifier,” with Richard Pinson, MD, and Cynthia Tang. For information, contact Shiloh Williams at Shiloh.Williams@ecrmc.org.

Save the date: September

• The South Carolina ACDIS Chapter meets Friday, September 16, at Providence Hospital in Columbia. For information, contact Mary Hopkins at Mary.Hopkins@hcahealthcare.com.
• The Maryland ACDIS Chapter meets Friday, September 16, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Maryland Hospital Association. Registration is nearing capacity. For additional information, email Olga Firstbrook at ofirstbrook@cua.md.     
• The Tennessee ACDIS Chapter joins THIMA, and the Tennessee Hospital Association for a CDI summit on Thursday, September 22, at the THA offices in Nashville. For information, contact Sherri Clark SClark@mc.utmck.edu.
• The Maine ACDIS Chapter meets Friday, September 23, at Eastern Maine Medical Center, noon to 4 p.m. For information, email Cathy.Seluke@mainegeneral.org.
• The ACDIS NW Oregon Chapter meets bi-annually. The next meeting will take place on September 30 in Medford. For information, contact Karen Gray at Karen.Gray@salemhealth.org.

Save the date: October

• Three Missouri ACDIS chapters join together for their first state-wide full-day event on Saturday, October 15, at Boone Hospital Center in Columbia. For information, contact Karen Elmore at kelmore@bjc.org.