A Note from the ACDIS Editor: A year in CDI
By: Katherine Rushlau, Editor
It’s hard to believe that it’s been one year since I began my first day at ACDIS on January 5, 2015—and what a year it’s been. The day I started, the only “CDI” knowledge I had was from a quick Google search, which garnered translations like “customer data integration” and “capacitor discharge ignition.” I had no idea what I was getting into.
Looking back, my first year with ACDIS proved to be full of memories and learning experiences far beyond what I anticipated. A mere hours after walking across the stage at my college graduation, I traveled to my first ACDIS conference with my cap, gown, and tassel stuffed into my carryon. My first ACDIS boot camp, my first CDI Week, my first CDI webcast—it all helped me realize what CDI is all about.
I witnessed some pretty significant ACDIS milestones: 1,300 conference attendees, 4,700 members 3,000 CCDS holders. And let’s not forget October 1, 2015, ICD-10 implementation became official, and we all survived. The fact that so many turning points in the CDI and greater healthcare industries happened during my first year as the ACDIS Editor was pretty extraordinary.
However, it was not events or moments or memories that truly made this year one to remember. The people are what make ACDIS what it is today, and I was fortunate enough to meet so many wonderful ACDIS members and supporters—from Advisory Board Member, Judy Schade, RN, MSN, CCM, CCDS who volunteered weeks of her time to help me edit our CDI Week Industry Overview Survey; to Sarah Mendiola, Esq., LPN, CPC, one of our most popular presenters at the ACDIS conference (and not just because she rapped with the AV guy before her session); to Rhonda Bisby, RN, BSN, CCDS, our gracious and humble 3,000th CCDS holder who I was lucky enough to interview. To our members, our readers, our advisory board, our instructors, our conference attendees, our sponsors, our staff—2015 would not have been what it was without all of you.
Here’s to another year at ACDIS, another year of memories, and another year connecting with the amazing people who make up our association.