Local Chapter Update: Fall features full day educational fun

by Melissa Varnavas

I just got off a planning call with half-dozen members of chapter leadership from the “show-me” state and, believe me, they’ve got something to show-off at their upcoming, first-annual, full-day conference on Saturday, October 15, at Boone Hospital Center in Columbia.

They have an amazing line-up of speakers, including ACDIS Advisory Board member Sam Antonios, who’ll be discussing physician advisor’s role in CDI, Jennifer Grub who’ll discuss CDI in recovery auditor denial prevention, and Rebekah May who’ll discuss severity of illness/risk of mortality, among other great presentations. Click here to learn more about the agenda.

They’ve also done fantastic work, including establishing an umbrella non-profit state-wide association, opened a bank account, a Google account, and a Square account, all to ensure that attendees can sign up for the event hassle-free. Committee members reached out to a variety of vendors who’ll be exhibiting at the conference, many of whom will also donate raffle items for attendees.

The group knows that networking remains a huge part of the benefit of these events, so they’ve got a number of additional surprise items up their sleeves. If you’re interested in attending they still have room for about two dozen more possible attendees, so pop over to their page on the ACDIS website to learn more.

September

• The Massachusetts ACDIS Chapter celebrates CDI Week at Bar Louie Rooftop at Patriot Place in Foxboro, Thursday, September 29, 7p.m. to 10 p.m. Come have a drink, appetizer, water, and network with other clinical documentation specialists throughout the Mass chapter. Cash bar. For information, contact Aimee Van Balen, at AVANBALEN@Lifespan.org.
• The ACDIS NW Oregon Chapter meets bi-annually. The next meeting will take place on September 30 in Medford. For information, contact Karen Gray at Karen.Gray@salemhealth.org.

October

• The Florida ACDIS Chapter meets Saturday, October 1, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at Orlando Health. For information, contact Jose.Gonzales at Jose.Gonzalez2@orlandohealth.com.
• The Washington ACDIS Chapter meets Thursday, October 6, at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle. For information, contact Nora Tiffany at Nora.Tiffany@providence.org.
• The Michigan ACDIS Chapter meets Saturday, October 8, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the Amway Grand Hotel in Grand Rapids. The chapter currently seeks volunteer presenters and is looking for members to help plan events for the 2017 calendar. For information, contact Susan Haley at shaley@theclarogroup.com.
• The Illinois ACDIS Chapter meets Thursday, October 13, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., at Morris Hospital. For information, contact Colleen Stukenberg at CStukenberg@fhn.org.
• The Suffolk County Long Island New York ACDIS Chapter meets Friday, October 14, at SBUH. Elections will be held for new chapter officers during the meeting. For information, contact scacdis@gmail.com.
• The Wisconsin ACDIS Chapter meets Saturday, October 15, at Wheaton Franciscan in Wauwatosa. For information, contact Teri Ryan at teri.ryan@aurora.org.
• Three Missouri ACDIS chapters join together for their first state-wide full-day event on Saturday, October 15, at Boone Hospital Center in Columbia. For information, contact Karen Elmore at kelmore@bjc.org.
• The Virginia ACDIS Chapter meets Saturday, October 15, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Chesapeake (VA) Regional Medical Center Lifestyle Center. For information, contact Shelly McBrayer at Shelly.mcbrayer@chesapeakeregional.com.
• The Philadelphia Pennsylvania/New Jersey ACDIS Chapter meets Thursday, October 27, at 8 a.m., at Cooper University Hospital, in Camden, New Jersey. For information, contact Gina Stewart atgstewart@e4-services.com.  
• The Puerto Rico ACDIS Chapter meets Thursday, October 27, to discuss frequently asked questions about CDI. For information, contact Carmen Ibarrondo at cibarrondo@picconsultantspr.com.

November

• The North Carolina ACDIS Chapter meets Friday, November 4, at UNC Lenoir Healthcare in Kinston. For information, email ncacdis@gmail.com. 
• The Westchester County New York networking group meets Tuesday, November 15, 4p.m. to 6 p.m., at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco. Bring a snack or pot-luck item for the group. For information, email Kerry Seekircher, westchesteracdis@yahoo.com.