Note from the Editorial Manager: Outpatient resources for all types of learners
by Karla Kozak
More than 25% of respondents to the 2024 CDI Week Industry Overview Survey indicated that their organization has a standalone outpatient CDI department with dedicated outpatient reviewers. Additionally, 16.75% reported that they plan to add an outpatient CDI department in the future. This means that outpatient CDI is of interest to a good portion of our CDI community, and with that in mind, I wanted to recommend some ACDIS resources especially for outpatient CDI professionals—or for those simply looking to learn more about outpatient CDI!
If you learn best by listening, check out some of our latest ACDIS Podcast episodes, dedicated to outpatient CDI or related topics. Note that these are free to everyone!
- Education for inpatient, primary care, and specialty providers with guest Mary Carol Brouwer, MSA, BSN, RN, CCDS, CPC, CDI provider educator at Baylor, Scott and White Health System in Texas
- Risk adjustment with guest Rebecca Burlin, BSN, RN, CCDS, CDI director at Lakeland Regional Health in Deltona, Florida
- Outpatient CDI education with guest Kenzi Brooks, CCDS-O, CCS, CRC, CPC-A, COC-A, the outpatient CDI educator at West Virginia University Health System in Morgantown, West Virginia
If you’re an avid reader like me, you probably gravitate toward books. The feel of the paper between your fingers—there’s just nothing like it. For those of us that fall into this camp, I’d recommend the newly published 2025 ACDIS Outpatient Pocket Guide. While its size continues to test the definition of “pocket,” this book contains key outpatient coding guidance, Hierarchical Condition Category (HCC) updates, compliant query best practices and standards, evaluation and management (E/M) requirements, and diagnostic definitions and is such an incredible resource to have handy.
If you’re a digital lover and prefer the speed of a keyboard, we have ACDIS Outpatient PRO, which contains all the content in the ACDIS Outpatient Pocket Guide, but without the hassle of carrying a book around. Plus, you’ll get customization options and bonus content not found in the books!
ACDIS members also have exclusive access to the following online reading material as part of their membership:
- The November/December 2024 edition of the CDI Journal, which was dedicated to risk adjustment and quality
- Sample job descriptions for an outpatient CDI manager and an outpatient CDI specialist
Members and nonmembers alike can access the following:
- ACDIS Position Paper: When Worlds Collide: HCCs and Risk Adjustment Strategies
- Report: ACDIS CDI Leadership Council Report: Outpatient CDI
Finally, if you’d rather get together in person for learning and networking—you’re in luck! This May, we’re hosting our annual ACDIS Symposium: Outpatient CDI. That’s two full days of educational sessions and sharing best practices with your peers from across the country. Plus, you’ll have the chance to chat with our exhibitors to hear about the latest innovative solutions designed specifically for the outpatient setting. This event takes place May 3–4, immediately before the ACDIS conference. And if you decide to attend both, you can save 15% on the symposium. If you register by March 3, you can save $100 with our early bird pricing; plus, ACDIS members save an additional $100 on top of that!
So, whether you learn best by seeing, listening, or doing—ACDIS has an outpatient CDI resource for you! As always, if we can help you find anything, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Editor’s note: Kozak is the editorial manager, products and events, at ACDIS. Contact her at karla.kozak@hcpro.com.