Nashville Conference Buzz: Integrating CDI with EHR

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of articles showcasing speakers at the 6th Annual ACDIS conference in Nashville, May 21-23. Mark Dominesey, RN, BSN, MBA, CCDS, CDIP, MCP, presents Integrating CDI processes with the EHR: Getting it right from the beginning,” on Tuesday, May 22 at 3:15 p.m., in Track 7, Leadership and Department Management.

ACDIS: Tell us a bit about your background and how you got into CDI.

MD: I was an IT specialist, IT trainer, and a systems administrator prior to becoming a nurse. After a few years as a bedside nurse and a house supervisor, I “stumbled” into CDI.  For my first CDI job I was hired to not only do CDI, but also to assist the IT department with HIM application integration into the EHR.  I learned that CDI fit my background and professional goals perfectly.

ACDIS: What has been your biggest challenge with your topic, “Integrating CDI processes with the EHR?

MD: Getting the various stakeholders to understand how important specificity is to medical documentation, and how work on the front-end can alleviate so much additional work after implementation.

ACDIS: How will your ACDIS presentation help attendees with this topic?

MD: They will hear practical information about how to engage the IT staff members and the clinicians in order to promote the importance of CDI principles in a new EHR implementation.  I’ll also offer best practices for interacting with the EHR.

ACDIS: If you’ve been to Nashville, what is the one “don’t miss this” recommendation for conference attendees?

MD: I spent three days of my honeymoon in Nashville. As someone who does not care for country music (shhhhh!), I was afraid that Nashville didn’t have a lot to offer me.  I was very surprised to find a cosmopolitan small city with a thriving higher education community.  Outdoor activities are plentiful as are cultural attractions.

ACDIS: Tell us something about yourself that we can share with your future audience.

MD: My wife and I have had six children in not quite 10 years of marriage (our oldest is 8 years old).  I’m restoring a vintage 1966 small camper and have more than 3,000 books categorized in my home library. My library holds my favorite books including:

• Nonfiction: “Good to Great” by Jim Collins
• Memoir: “A Walk in the Woods” by Bill Bryson
• Biography: “The Unfinished Presidency” by Douglas Brinkley
• Fiction: “The Silmarillion” By J.R.R. Tolkien