Meet a Member: One of the first CCDS holders shares her CDI story

Fran Andrews, RN, BSN, CCDS, a CDI specialist at Wellstar Healthcare System, has been in the field since 2006, and is a member of the Georgia ACDIS local chapter.

ACDIS Blog: What did you do before entering CDI?
Andrews: I worked in a medical intensive care unit (MICU) for 25 years as a nurse before transitioning to CDI. I was exploring new avenues. I needed something less physically demanding, while still stimulating my mind. I heard that our hospital was starting a CDI program and it sounded intriguing. I applied, was hired, and it was a perfect fit. Cynthia Tang and Richard Pinson [co-authors of the CDI Pocket Guide] came and educated us during our startup.

ACDIS Blog: What has been your biggest challenge?
Andrews: Well, I like to tell people that in the first six months, I felt like a deer in the headlights. It was such a foreign concept, to go from nurse-physician terminology into what was necessary to translate that language into coding requirements.

But, more than that, our department was asked to educate all the physicians, by specialty, on ICD-10-CM/PCS. So, in addition to the training provided by Pinson and Tang, we attended the HCPro ICD-10 boot camp that Cheryl Ericson taught, and completed online learning modules from 3M. Then we divided the specialties in two, prepared PowerPoint presentations and arranged education in all the offices, working with the coding staff.

ACDIS Blog: What has been your biggest reward?
Andrews: I love my job! It was a perfect marriage of all my years of critical care nursing and the challenge of learning a whole new perspective of looking at documentation.

It was rewarding to be in on the initial steps of developing a successful program and to see the improved severity of illness and risk of mortality, too.

The relationship that the CDI and coding professionals developed was extremely close, so that has been so rewarding too. It didn’t happen overnight, but as we developed respect for each other’s knowledge and abilities, we came to depend on each other and value our roles.

ACDIS Blog: How has the field changed since you began working in CDI?
Andrews: The focus has changed from getting that one CC or one MCC documented to a much more comprehensive picture of the patient. I helped with the appeals and so I was never happy until I had captured the entire clinical picture to reflect the severity of illness and risk of mortality.

ACDIS Blog: Can you mention a few of the "gold nuggets" of information you've received from colleagues on the Forum or through ACDIS?
Andrews: Oh goodness, I have relied on ACDIS and HCPro so much!

From the very start of our CDI program, I realized it was imperative to stay up-to-date on best practices/advances and changes.

I joined ACDIS soon after we started our program and the leadership has worked to make it an extremely valuable resource. I rarely miss the Quarterly Conference Calls or ACDIS Radio.

ACDIS has been there when I had ethical questions and the Advisory Board was very helpful in clarifying some issues for me.

I was one of the first 250 CDI specialists to obtain the CCDS certification. I had worked in the ICU for 25 years and had not felt the need for certification, but the clinical documentation field was so new, I wanted the validation.

I met the presenter for Talk10Tuesday at one of the ACDIS national conferences, too, and was invited to present on the July 2, 2013 episode!

ACDIS Blog: If you have attended, how many ACDIS conferences have you been to? What are your favorite memories?
Andrews: I have been fortunate enough to attend five national conferences and I plan on being there in May 2019. I was active in the Southeast ACDIS group when it began and then as the surrounding states developed their associations, it changed to the Georgia ACDIS local chapter.

I started attending the basic classes at the national conferences and have advanced through the intermediate classes and then the advanced. When I attended two years ago, I focused on the outpatient and quality lectures, as our hospital was trying to decide which direction to go.

ACDIS Blog: What piece of advice would you offer to a new CDI specialist?
Andrews: Be a sponge! Listen, question and develop the knowledge to be compliant, competent, and efficient in the CDI role.

ACDIS Blog: If you could have any other job, what would it be?
Andrews: I haven’t thought about another job. I don’t change often and this job keeps me stimulated, especially with all the changes in the regulations/coding rules every year.

ACDIS Blog: What was your first job?
Andrews: My father was a veterinarian, so I worked for him from the time I was small. I was assisting in surgery when I was 12 years old and helping deliver large and small animals. I continued to work with him through high school. It was a great way to be raised and I always knew I wanted to go into nursing.

ACDIS Blog: Can you tell us about a few of your favorite things?
Andrews: I love gardening. I have perineal gardens around my house. It’s my therapy.

I also love to play piano and sing. I almost completed my double minor in college in music, but my nursing clinicals and labs prevented it. I play for the choir at my church and in the orchestra for Easter and Christmas.

• Vacation spots: We have a friend that has a house in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, so we have made several trips there, hiking, and spending time outdoors with our son.
• Hobby: I love to sew and made a lot of my clothes growing up, including my formals for dances and cocktail dresses, but have transitioned more towards making curtains, bedspreads, and home decor. I have already mentioned my perineal gardens and I consider that a hobby, too. I do my own interior painting (sometimes exterior)—there is not anything that I won’t try to do, at least once.
• Non-alcoholic beverage: The day is not complete without a good cup of coffee or two.
• Foods: I love steak! I know I shouldn’t, but there is nothing better than a steak that my husband has grilled on the “Big Green Egg.”
• Activity: I have some very special friends that I meet several times a week. I have a new puppy that I am training and several bird feeders that we enjoy.

   

ACDIS Blog: Tell us about your family and how you like to spend your time away from CDI.
Andrews: I have been married 37 years and have a son who is an attorney and lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, with his wife of nine years, who is a pediatric dentist. We don’t get to see them often enough but would consider retiring in their area. I’m keeping busy with my new puppy, Dylan, along with our Pennie, who we’ve had for 13 years. My husband and I love to cook, so we are always looking for new recipes to try. I have sisters that live in town and am very active in my church. I am very devoted to my job, but really have a very full life outside work.