Note from ACDIS Director: What’s new at the ACDIS 10th annual conference? A lot.

February 9, 2017

CDI Strategies - Volume 11, Issue 6

Three months from now the ACDIS team will head to our biggest event of the year—our national conference. And in case you haven’t heard it’s a milestone…our 10^th. A big number and once again we are bringing the networking, the learning, and the fun.

It’s hard for me to focus in on even as few as four or five sessions that I’m most excited about, but instead of reprinting the entire agenda I thought I’d focus in on my personal top 10 speakers at the 2017 ACDIS conference. Cue the drum roll…

“AHA Coding Clinic update,” with Nelly Leon Chisen, RHIA: Get the latest updates critical to CDI directly from the source: Chisen is the Director of Coding and Classification for the American Hospital Association, publisher of Coding Clinic. You don’t get much more authoritative than this.
“Denials and CDI: A Recovery Auditor’s Perspective,” with Barbara Brant, MPA, RN, CDIP, CCDS, CCS and Timothy J. Garrett, MD, MBA, FACEP, FACHE, CHCQM, CIC. Hear straight talk from an actual auditor and what they see in the industry from a denials perspective: Brant and Garrett are from Cotiviti Healthcare. I give these guys credit for coming out to inform and take a little heat!
“Sepsis: 1, 2, 3—RAC Attack! Respiratory Failure: Definition and Sequencing Guidelines,” with William Haik, MD, CDIP. This session by the dynamic Dr. Haik includes the evolving definitions of sepsis and acute respiratory failure, including calculation of P/F ratio. Even more important now that Sepsis-3 will be the new criteria for the Surviving Sepsis Campaign.
“ACDIS Advisory Board panel: Past, Present and Future of CDI.” This session with representatives of the ACDIS Advisory Board offers an insider’s look at the CDI profession, including where it presently stands and how it must evolve. OK, a bit of nepotism here as I’ll be on panel :). But seriously, we’re up to a lot!
“The Post-Acute Care Setting: Integrating CDI into Multiple Outpatient Settings,” with Kathy DeVault, MSL, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, FAHIMA and Beth Wolf, MD, CCDS, CPC. This session examines specific outpatient settings such as home health, hospice, outpatient infusion centers, and clinics with employed providers, each with inter-related requirements for documentation, coding, and billing. They have some great ideas on how to expand your CDI department beyond the acute-care hospital setting.
“A breakdown of the AHIMA clinical validation brief,” with Tammy Combs, RN, MSN, CDIP, CCS, CDIP and Melanie Endicott, MBA/HCM, RHIA, CHDA, CDIP, CCS, CCS-P. Clinical validation can be a challenging task for both CDI and coding professionals, and representatives who contributed to the 2016 AHIMA practice brief “Clinical Validation: The Next Level of CDI,” will no doubt add some clarity for CDI professionals on this topic. I’m honored to have official AHIMA representation on our podium!
“Clinical Validation and Denials Management/Appeals: An ALJ’s Perspective,” with Alicia Kutzer, BS, Esq. LLM. Hear from an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) and former QIC employee who was integral in developing training materials and presentations for proper adjudication of Medicare appeals and defended claim denials at the reconsideration and ALJ levels of appeals. I expect an interesting look “inside the courtroom” if you will.
“Measuring Clinician Engagement Utilizing a Validated and Reliable Survey Instrument Developed by a Professional Doctorate Candidate,” with Nicole Draper, RN, BN, MHA. Attendees will be inspired to develop or adopt the validated and reliable survey instrument presented during this presentation to assess clinician engagement in their CDI program. Data and results will be shared from this speaker flying in from Australia to present!
“Getting to the Heart of Accurately Defining Cardiac Ischemic Syndromes,” with Garry Huff, MD, CCS, CCDS and Christopher M. Huff, MD. This session is presented by two physicians including a board-certified cardiologist who completed a fellowship in advanced interventional cardiology at The Cleveland Clinic. Getting real clinical while having some fun!
(TIE!) Our Two Inspirational Keynotes—“Healthcare, Remixed,” with Zubin Damania, MD (aka., ZDoggMD) and “Josie's Story: Family-Centered Approaches to Patient Safety,” with Sorrel King. Sorrel King is pure inspiration and has a tragic, real-life story to motivate you to make a change in your own life. Her message on patient safety will resonate with any CDI specialist who reviews Patient Safety Indicators or refers an issue to quality. As for ZDogg… the man is a legend and there is no one more “Vegas” than him. Get ready for Healthcare… Remixed.

Sure, this list is subjective but I know you won’t be disappointed with any of them. Keep in mind my list of favorites just scratches the surface! We have more than 50 sessions to pick from.

As for the location…I’m a big Vegas fan and I’ve been very impressed with the MGM Grand. It’s big (the largest single hotel in the United States with 6,852 rooms) it’s new (built in 1993, constantly refurbished, as recently as 2012) with outdoor pools, rivers, waterfalls, and home to a number of entertainment venues, nightly shows, and world-class restaurants. And it’s located right on the strip.

Yes, there is a walk to the conference space—that’s inevitable with spaces this big and conferences this size—but I can tell you that the walk is MUCH shorter than you may have experienced in 2016 in Atlanta. I hope you enjoy the warm weather and the unforgettable sights and sounds of one of the most memorable places on earth.

So please come on out to this big 10^th anniversary celebration of our association, and: