Conference Buzz: Use your brain. Attend the encephalopathy session tomorrow at ACDIS

Editor’s Note: This is the fifth in a series of posts showcasing speakers at the 6th Annual ACDIS conference in Nashville, May 21-23.  Cindy Pritchett, RN, BSN, CCDS, presents “Encephalopathy and brain-related SOI” tomorrow, Tuesday, May 22, at 1:30 p.m.

ACDIS: Tell us a little about how you got into the CDI profession. 

CP: I have been an RN for almost 30 years. I have a background in critical care, education, and quality/performance improvement. I decided to move to the non-clinical side of nursing I originally chose case management.  I applied for a position 5 ½ years ago, was accepted for the position, and was ready to start when the organization’s director asked me if I would be interested in helping start up a new program the hospital was implementing called clinical documentation improvement.

I had no clue at the time what it was all about. They were kind enough to let me take home the assessment that had been done by an external consulting company. After reading all the materials and program implementation plan, I could envision the effect this program was going to have. The scary part for me at the time was passing up a great job for one that might not be long-lived if the program didn’t succeed.

After my initial training, I couldn’t believe I was lucky enough to have landed in this arena. it felt like the sky was the limit. I was excited and passionate about making a difference and excited about having an impact on the bottom line. It was a bit intimidating to sit with vice presidents and the chief financial officer to justify our data, numbers, and outcomes, but it was a blessing in disguise since it did not take long to prove valuable CDI was.

And just look at how far we have come in the past five years. I am proud to be part of a profession that helps hospitals survive and thrive.

ACDIS: What was the biggest challenge creating your presentation for the ACDIS National Conference?

CP: The greatest challenge has been the lack of agreement within the medical community about what constitutes encephalopathy, lack of definitive testing to identify it, and the absence of definitive treatment. It’s one of those diagnoses that you know is present, but it’s hard to “prove.”  It’s also very hard to identify this disease process when the patient has underlying dementia. The CDI professional has to figure out the “trigger” that differentiates the two. Then they have to consider how a stroke might be a causative factor and where such diagnoses fall in the mix? Finding my way through the fog of these definitions has made me a stronger CDI practitioner, I believe and I can’t wait to share what I’ve learned with others.

ACDIS: How will your ACDIS presentation help attendees with this topic?   

CP: I believe the presentation will help those who attend build a stronger practice by providing them with a clearer understanding of encephalopathy and other brain-related severity of illness. I hope they will learn how to identify it, how to capture it, and how to engage medical staff so that they develop a comfort level defining it.  I am also going to touch on some encephalopathy issues related to Recovery Auditors that, I’ve been exposed to now, working as a travel CDI consultant. Whether you are new to the field or experienced, I don’t think anyone has completely mastered this topic, so the program will help all attendees begin to “tackle” this challenging diagnosis.

ACDIS Notes: Pritchett says she’s never been to Nashville but because she is from Texas, and a huge country music fan, she is looking forward to visiting the Grand Ole Opry where some of her favorite artists have performed including:  Patsy Cline, Alan Jackson, Vince Gill, Lady Antebellum, and Willie Nelson…