ACDIS update: A warm welcome to our new 2023 ACDIS Advisory Board members!

The ACDIS Advisory Board plays an important role in the leadership of the association. They help create industry guidance in the form of white and position papers, serve as expert voices on our quarterly conference calls, and collaborate with other associations in the healthcare industry. They also provide advice and guidance on matters of governance for the ACDIS membership.

Our ACDIS membership recently voted for our new Advisory Board members, and the results are in…

But first, we would like to thank four members who are stepping down for all the work they have done over the past few years:

• Tracy Boldt, RN, BSN, CCDS, CDIP (2019-2022)
• Autumn Reiter, BSN, RN, CCDS, CCDS-O, CDIP, CCS (2021-2023)
• Chris Petrilli, MD, SFHM, CCDS (2019-2022)
• Jennifer Eaton, RN, MSN, CCDS (2019-2023)

With that being said, here are our new Advisory Board members joining in 2023!

A.J. Hegg, MD, has been the CDI medical director for the Essentia Health System since 2019 and is based out of Duluth, Minnesota. He recently became the medical director and lead physician advisor for utilization management at Essentia in 2022. He is board-certified in critical care, internal medicine, and emergency medicine and practices clinically as an intensivist and emergency physician. He completed residency and fellowship at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan in 2012, and graduated from medical school at the University of Minnesota in 2006.

Faisal Hussain, MD, MHIIM, RHIA, CCDS, CDIP, CCS, is the executive director of CDI at Wellstar Health System. In his current role, he is responsible for overseeing the CDI strategy and operations for the entire health system, which comprises of nine hospitals, 300+ medical offices, along with other service offerings such as cancer centers, rehabilitation centers, hospice facilities, urgent care locations, etc. Dr. Hussain has a strong CDI background and has previously worked in both outpatient and inpatient settings to assist CDI initiatives at large physician practices and hospital systems throughout the country and has led multiple CDI teams throughout his career towards achieving success. He is a recognized industry leader and is a member of the ACDIS Leadership Council and ACDIS Regulatory Committee. He regularly speaks at national and local conferences, including the national American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) convention and exhibit, the national ACDIS conference, and several local state ACDIS chapter meetings. In addition to this, he has also been invited to speak on multiple CDI and HIM podcasts, including The ACDIS Podcast, AHIMA HI Pitch Podcast, Coder vs CDI, etc.

Sydni Johnson, BSN, RN, CCDS, is the associate director of CDI quality and education at Banner Health. During her 19-year career in nursing she worked as a quality analyst and partnered with CDI specialists on mortality, length of stay, and patient safety indicators/hospital-acquired condition projects. This experience led to her current CDI journey of eight years. Under Johnson’s leadership, her auditor team modernized the CDI audit and data reporting processes. Her education team streamlined CDI education and orientation, created an annual CDI competency, and standardized provider education. In 2017, she obtained an Integrative Health Coaching Certification and utilizes motivational interviewing skills in her CDI leadership and education role. Johnson is a published author in the CDI Journal and has spoken at the ACDIS national conference, local AHIMA roundtables, ACDIS Educator Networking Group meetings and local ACDIS chapter events. Johnson has served as co-chair for the Arizona ACDIS chapter since 2020.

Tami McMasters-Gomez, MHL, BS, CCDS, CDIP, CCS-P, ICD-10 CM/PCS Trainer, is the director of coding and CDI programs at UC Davis Health. McMasters-Gomez started her journey in healthcare 30 years ago as a file clerk at a very small rural hospital. It was there where she learned several important skills including coding. During her 26 years at UC Davis Health, McMasters-Gomez has worked in a variety of roles, such as coder, auditor, supervisor, manager, and director. She has enjoyed the growth and challenges that have come with her various positions at UC Davis. McMasters-Gomez’s program is the 2021 recipient of the ACDIS Diversity in CDI award, and the ACDIS 2022 Recognition of Professional Achievement award.