Meet the CAB member: Karen Elmore serves Missouri CDI professionals
Editor’s note: There are more than 40 local chapters and networking groups across the country and internationally, each led by a team of dedicated volunteers. To support these volunteers the Chapter Advisory Board (CAB) meets regularly to discuss matters of concern and to provide guidance to local chapters. This week, please take a minute to get to know Karen Elmore, RN, BSN, CCDS, documentation quality coordinator at BJC HealthCare in St. Louis, Missouri. If you are a local chapter leader or participate in local chapter events, you’ve no doubt benefited from their efforts, so why not take a moment and shoot them an email to share your thoughts? Contact Elmore via email at karen.elmore@bjc.org.
RN, BSN, CCDS
Karen Elmore, RN, BSN, CCDS
Documentation Quality Coordinator
BJC HealthCare St. Louis, Missouri
karen.elmore@bjc.org missouristateacdis@gmail.com
When you joined CDI and how did you get here?
In 2008, I was asked if I would be interested in developing the CDI program at Boone Hospital in Columbia, Missouri, which is a part of BJC HealthCare. I had been a Neuro ICU Charge Nurse for 14 years and in education for three years at Boone prior to becoming a CDI specialist. In 2014, I sat for the CCDS exam and passed. In 2016, I was recruited for a corporate position with BJC HealthCare as a documentation quality coordinator. I support 11 CDI specialists and four CDI leaders within four hospitals in the Columbia/St. Louis area. My areas of focus are second level reviews, quality measures (PSI/HACs), a mediator between coding and CDI mismatches, mortality reviews, insurance denial reviews, and orientation of new CDI staff.
What made you volunteer for the local chapter?
We did not have a local chapter in the mid-Missouri area and I knew that with all of the CDI specialists that were in the mid-Missouri area we needed one. I talked with CDI friends at another local hospital, we met a few times and discussed the development of a chapter. We developed the Heart of Missouri Chapter in 2009 and I am the current chapter president. The Heart of Missouri ACDIS Chapter then combined with the St. Louis, Kansas City, and Springfield chapters to become the Missouri State ACDIS Chapter in 2015. I am one of three co-leads in this chapter.
How did you first get involved in local chapter activities?
Getting in touch with my peers at different facilities. I was one of the organizers that started the mid-Missouri CDS talking and out of that developed the Heart of Missouri ACDIS Chapter. We have a great team of CDS and chapter leaders that help to recruit new members, plan meetings, and obtain speakers. It takes a village to run a chapter.
What excites you most about local chapter events?
In 2015, I had a dream about having a conference in Columbia and our local Heart of Missouri Chapter started discussing this process. We asked for the guidance of Melissa Varnavas, who suggested we ask the other Missouri Chapters to join in and that is when the Missouri State Chapter was born! We had our 1st Annual Show Me State Conference on October 15, 2016. We have had had two all day conferences since 2015 and have had participants from as far away as Florida and speakers who have spoken at the national ACDIS level. We have had about 100 participants at each conference that include CDI specialists, CDI leaders, physicians/providers, and coders. Vendors have set up booths and sponsor the events. It is truly an amazing experience. October 20, 2018 will be the 3rd Annual Show Me State Conference. The date is saved, the venue is secured, some vendors have already requested to be a part of the conference and we have had conformation of speakers! The planning is in full force!