Note from the Associate Editorial Director: Together again

by Melissa Varnavas

They say we’ll be together again, soon. While we are praying for those who are sick, those who have lost a loved one, and those whose jobs have been impacted by COVID-19, we are all anxiously awaiting that day.

Until that day arrives, however, we need to find a way, multiple ways, any way to stay engaged.

As you’ll read throughout this newsletter, ACDIS is helping you stay abreast of all the COVID-19 information pertinent to those working in the CDI field. And now, we’re working on an innovative, low-cost way to bring our CDI community together.

This week ACDIS announced its upcoming online/virtual symposium “Staying Engaged: ACDIS Presents Virtual Education & Community,” a three-day event taking place June 17-19, featuring 11 sessions from our previously scheduled main conference particularly pertinent to the events of the world today. The virtual symposium includes sessions on Coding Clinic and coding guideline updates; policies, procedures, and best practices around remote CDI efforts; CDI efforts in the ED; clinical chart review tips; among many others. ACDIS Director Brian Murphy will be hosting “live” editions of the ACDIS Podcast: Talking CDI to kick off each day of the event and we’ll welcome back the much-loved keynote speaker Joan Peterson who presented at the 2019 ACDIS Symposium: Outpatient CDI to deliver our keynote on leadership on the second day of the event.

We’re working to develop some fun and helpful networking opportunities as well, taking advantage of the conference app that ACDIS attendees have become accustomed to using during both the main conference and outpatient events. We’ll be hosting virtual coffee hour and after-hour events and facilitating discussions around the topics that matter most to you at this time. You’ll have the chance to be part of a great community of CDI professionals, while learning and earning CEUs.

Please note that this year’s main conference theme “Engage!” continues to be our theme for this event. While we continue to work with our vendors and negotiate opportunities to bring us together later this fall, we know that we need each other now more than ever. We need to see your smiling, crying, laughing, engaging faces.

I hope to see you all soon.

Editor’s note: Varnavas is the associate editorial director of ACDIS, responsible for all events. Contact her at mvarnavas@acdis.org.