Note from Associate Director: What to expect at the ACDIS Symposium: Outpatient CDI
By Rebecca Hendren
Outpatient CDI is a fast-growing area of focus for those working in the field. In a recent member poll, 33% of our audience reported that they either have an outpatient CDI program or they are planning to launch one within the next 12 months. The topic was a hot one at our 10th annual conference in May and many are looking for guidance regarding how to get started in outpatient CDI, including building a program, staffing, and determining return on investment.
Our new, two-day conference coming this September will answer many of these questions and help us kick-off our CDI Week celebrations. The ACDIS Symposium: Outpatient CDI, being held September 18-19 in Oak Brook, Illinois, features presentations from organizations who have already built successful outpatient CDI programs and who will share their experiences in getting started and maintaining a program.
One speaker who I can’t wait to listen to is Nicole Fox, MD, MPH, FACS, CPE, medical director of CDI and pediatric trauma at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, New Jersey. Dr. Fox will share how her organization’s ambulatory CDI program from the ground up, including how they set goals, identified resources, built their team, and secured administrative support. She will also discuss the always tricky topic of engaging physicians in the process and providing them with ongoing education and feedback.
We’ll also hear from people like Yvonne Whitley, RN, BSN, CPC, CRC, CDEO, who is a supervisor in ambulatory CDI at Novant Health in North Carolina, whose program has been up and running for several years.
In addition, the conference will include sessions that discuss how provider querying works and how it differs from the inpatient setting, how reimbursement works in the outpatient setting, what metrics can be used to measure effectiveness, and what common diagnoses should be examined.
This program is tailored for anyone who is new to outpatient CDI or who is considering beginning a program. If it sounds like something that may be helpful for you, please take a look at the agenda on our website and feel free to reach out to me to learn more.
Editor’s note: Hendren is the associate director of membership and product development at ACDIS. Contact her at rhendren@acdis.org.