Local Chapter Meetings: Legacy Chapters Hold Full-Day Sessions This Week

ACDIS now has more than 40 local chapters whose volunteer leaders gather CDI professionals for education and networking all across the county. A handful of these groups have been gathering and supporting the growth of the profession since the early days of ACDIS’ inception. This week, two such “legacy” groups—North Carolina and Florida—will hold full-day meetings.

North Carolina has consistently held education-intensive sessions and innovative networking, but also has performed community outreach, collecting canned goods from charities at many of its meetings. The group meets Friday, November 7, 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., at Mercy Hospital in Charlotte. The agenda includes:

• William Fanning, MD, Physician Advisor for Carolinas Healthcare
• Panel Discussion: Various topics with audience participation
• Cassi Birnbaum, MS, RHIA, FAHIMA, CPHQ, Senior Vice President , HIM and Consulting Services for Peak Health
• Marie A. Thomas, RHIT, CCS, CPC-H, CCDS; AHIMA  Approved ICD-10-CM and PCS trainer, Patient Revenue Management Organization, at Duke University Health System

For information, contact Brenda Harris at Brenda.Harris@carolinashealthcare.org.

The first Florida ACDIS meeting had 17 attendees. Today, it has more than 150 members and typically more than 30 attendees at each quarterly meeting. The chapter has met in all corners of the state from the Pensacola to Miami and those unable to travel can attend virtually, via webinar and teleconferencing, when available. The Florida ACDIS Chapter meets Saturday, November 8, in Margate (north of Ft. Lauderdale), when it will hold elections for new officers. For information, contact Kimberly Reichert at kimrichert01@gmail.com; or vice president Jamie Dugan at Jamie.Dugan@bmcjax.com.

Additional meetings coming up include:

New Jersey
The New Jersey ACDIS Chapter partnered with the Delaware AHIMA Chapter for a 21-part webinar series on ICD-10-CM/PCS titled, “Sharpening the Focus for Accurate Data and DRG Assignment,” which begins in November and continues through June 2015. For information, visit www.dehima.org/continuing-education/on-demand-education/icd-10-cmpcs-webinar-series.

Connecticut
The Connecticut ACDIS Chapter meets Thursday, November 13, 1:30-3 p.m., at The Hospital of Central Connecticut, in New Britain. For information, contact Maryann Shanley at mshanley24@yahoo.com.

Virginia
The Virginia ACDIS Chapter meets Saturday, November 15, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Johnston Willis Hospital’s Stalker Auditorium, in Richmond, with guest speaker Regina Bays, CCS, HSC Coding Quality Manager, from Parallon Business Performance Group. The agenda also includes discussions of:

• Palliative Care
• Post-op Hemorrhage
• Early Heart Attack Care

For information, contact Lisa Romanello at angelisa.romanello@hcahealthcare.com.

South Carolina
Save the date: The next South Carolina ACDIS Chapter meets at Baptist Hospital in Easley, SC on January 16. For information, email PJ Floyd, floyp@musc.edu.

Editor’s Note: For additional information about ACDIS networking and state and local events, visit the Local Chapter page of the ACDIS website or visit the ACDIS Blog and click on the Local Chapters category.