Local chapter update: Identify roles, tasks for chapter volunteers

ACDIS requires three volunteers from three different facilities to serve as the core leadership team for each official local chapter or networking group. The roles and responsibilities of these leaders can vary, however.

(Some of those were explained in last week’s CDI Strategies.)

Some chapters choose to have formal president, vice-president, secretary roles. For example, a president may be chiefly responsible for organizing the core team planning meetings, identifying strategic goals, surveying membership, and communicating obstacles and successes to the national organization. The vice president may be responsible for identifying potential speakers, hosts, vendors (if applicable), and working with the host site on logistical concerns such as event registration and food delivery (if applicable). The secretary may be responsible for keeping minutes of leadership meetings, maintaining a membership roster and/or working with national to ensure accurate collection of data from its online membership roster, communicating meeting information such as save-the-date cards and post-event re-caps, as well as obtaining continuing education credits for the CCDS credential.

Some chapters have a co-leader format where each member takes on responsibilities according to their respective talents and experiences. For example, if someone has a background in graphic design perhaps they take on the role of creating save-the-date cards and event fliers. Those more socially inclined may be willing tackling the task of reaching out to nearby facilities to identify a host or seeking out speakers.

Core teams may expand beyond the required three-person parameter to provide duplicity and flexibility for those wishing to help with local chapter/networking duties. For example, two individuals may have secretarial-type duties so that if one volunteer cannot attend a planning call the other can still take notes. If both are in attendance they can share their notes with each other to ensure they captured all the details before sending them around to the larger group.

Leadership also needs to keep in mind a number of duties/volunteer opportunities available during the day of any live event. Some of these are included in the Leadership Toolkit such as  the sample meeting checklist for leadership (note donated by North Carolina ACDIS Chapter) and the sample onsite volunteer to-do checklist (created for the Missouri ACDIS Chapter). Also be sure to review some of the sample local chapter bylaws available in the Toolkit as these provide some guidance as to more definitive roles of leaders.

The following is a list of upcoming events for ACDIS local chapters. If you have an upcoming event you would like to include, please email Melissa Varnavas (mvarnavas@acdis.org) and Archibald (larchibald@acdis.org).

July:

• The Westchester/Hudson Valley ACDIS chapter meets Thursday, July 12, 2-4 p.m., at Greater Hudson Valley Health System at the Orange Regional Medical Center Campus, with special guest ACDIS Director Brian Murphy. For information, contact Kerry Seekircher (kseekircher@northwell.edu).
• The Washington Evergreen ACDIS chapter meets on Friday, July 20, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., via webinar. Click here to download the save-the-date. For information, contact the chapter leadership team (evergreenacdis@gmail.com).
• The Michigan ACDIS chapter meets Wednesday, July 25, 12-1 p.m., via webinar. The topic will be “Coding highlights on the horizon for 2019.” For information, contact Susan Fantin (susan.fantin@comcast.net).

August:

• The Massachusetts ACDIS chapter, along with the New England components of AHIMA, meet Friday, August 3, 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at Baystate Health Educational Center in Springfield. Click here to register, registration limited to 200. For information, contact Aimee Van Balen (avanbalen@lifespan.org).
• The CDI Educator ACDIS networking group meets Friday, August 10, 12-1 p.m., PST, via webinar. For information, contact M.E. VanGelder (me.vangelder@honorhealth.com).
• The North Carolina ACDIS chapter meets Friday, August 24, for their summer conference at Mission Health in Asheville. For information, contact the leadership team (ncacdis@gmail.com).
• The Kentucky and Indiana ACDIS local chapters meet Friday, August 24, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Baptist Health in Louisville, Kentucky. The registration fee is $85 until August 3, at which point the fee is $95. Click here to download the registration form. For information, contact Susan Snyder (ssnyder1@bhsi.com).

Save-the-date:

• The Maryland ACDIS chapter meets on Friday, September 14, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Towson. Click here to download the save-the-date flyer. For information, contact Candace Blankenship (evalani3@msn.com).
• The Kansas City Missouri ACDIS chapter meets Wednesday, September 19, 2-4 p.m., at North Kansas City Hospital in Kansas City. For information, contact Angelica Naylor (Angelica.Naylor@nkch.org).
• The Washington Evergreen ACDIS chapter meets on Friday, September 28, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Trios Women's and Children's Hospital in Kennewick. Click here to download the save-the-date. For information, contact the leadership team (evergreenacdis@gmail.com).
• The Arizona ACDIS chapter and the Arizona component of AHIMA meet on Saturday, October 6, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at MIHS in Phoenix. For information, contact Debra Beisel Denton (debra.beiseldenton@mihs.org).
• The Massachusetts ACDIS chapter meets Wednesday, October 17, 1-4 p.m., at Kent Hospital in Warwick, Rhode Island. For information, contact Joyce Williams (JWilliams@Lifespan.org).
• Missouri's three ACDIS chapters meet Saturday, October 20, for the third annual Show Me State conference at SSM DePaul in St. Louis. For information, contact Mariann Dinello (mariann.dinello@ssmhealth.com) or 314-344-6286.