Meet a Member: After years in medicine and CDI, there’s still more to learn
Ginger Boyle, MD, CCDS, CDIP, CCS, CCS-P, is a physician advisor at Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
ACDIS Blog: What did you do before entering CDI?
Boyle: Before I joined CDI in 2007 (and while I’ve been in it, actually), I’ve been a practicing family physician. From 2004-2014, I also taught family medicine residents, practice management, and CDI. I earned my CCS, and CCS-P qualifications because I was teaching the residents and I wanted to be sure I was teaching them the correct information about documentation and coding.
ACDIS Blog: What has been your biggest challenge?
Boyle: Staying current as guidelines, key terms, hierarchical condition categories, MCCs, CCs, hospital acquired infections, etc. keep changing.
ACDIS Blog: What has been your biggest reward?
Boyle: Expanding out of patient care and into physician advising has been very rewarding for me.
ACDIS Blog: How has the field changed since you began working in CDI?
Boyle: There’s a much greater emphasis on coding accuracy and CDI in healthcare now, and that carries over into physician advising.
ACDIS Blog: Can you mention a few of the "gold nuggets" of information you've received from colleagues on the Forum or through ACDIS?
Boyle: These are just a few of the things I’ve learned through ACDIS:
- Find opportunities to apply knowledge to actual patient cases so the CDI rules/guidelines stick in your mind.
- Be as specific as possible when selecting patients’ diagnoses, or document why a specific diagnosis is not applicable.
- Think in full words when writing in the patient notes.
ACDIS Blog: If you have attended, how many ACDIS conferences have you been to? What are your favorite memories?
Boyle: I have not had the change to attend one yet, though I have attended some AHIMA CDI conferences. I’m planning to attend the ACDIS Conference in Orlando in May 2019 though!
ACDIS Blog: What piece of advice would you offer to a new CDI specialist?
Boyle: Practice what you learn in class—notes are not cases.
ACDIS Blog: If you could have any other job, what would it be?
Boyle: I would decrease my direct patient care and increase physician advising and CDI—change from a 90/10 split, to a 30/70 split.
ACDIS Blog: What was your first job?
Boyle: I was a full-time babysitter.
ACDIS: Can you tell us about a few of your favorite things?
- Candy: M&Ms
- Vacation spots: Savannah, Georgia, and Disney World!
- Hobbies: Family time and jogging.
- Non-alcoholic beverage: Coffee.
- Foods: Peanut butter, dark chocolate, and frozen yogurt.
- Activity: Time with family and church.
and husband.
ACDIS Blog: Tell us about your family and how you like to spend your time away from CDI.
Boyle: My husband is a full-time parent, avid volunteer in schools and community. My twin daughters just started college at Virginia Tech and USC—Columbia, so we’re adjusting to being empty nesters!
ACDIS Blog: Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Boyle: Even after all these years, I still have a lot to learn about CDI, coding, and medicine, which I love.