Speaker Q&A: The ticket to physician engagement

Are you struggling to get your physicians to understand why documentation is important? Join speakers Karen DiMeglio, RN, MS, CPC, CCDS and Jill O’Brien, MD, on Day 2 for their session, “Physician Advisors: The Ticket to Physician Engagement.” We spoke with them about their session and what they’re looking forward to at the conference.

Q: What should CDI specialists know about selecting the right physician advisor?

O’Brien: I think first it’s important to dispel a few myths. Your physician advisor doesn’t need to have any previous skills or knowledge of medical coding, or even be the best documenter. However, they do need to have a passion for helping other providers, good communication skills, and a strong reputation among staff. An outstanding physician advisor provides an extra link to help the CDI team engage medical staff. He or she should advocate for the medical staff, coders, and CDI professionals; align educational efforts to meet clinical practice; and demonstrate through data the affect CDI has on individual physician metrics and global hospital system quality outcomes.

Q: What are three things attendees can expect from your session?

O’Brien: Attendees will learn and discuss:

• Why you absolutely need a physician advisor to take your CDI program to the next level
• Real life examples of the effect a physician advisor can have on a CDI program and hospital system
• How our system addresses the ever changing clinical and coding worlds

Q: Who should attend your presentation and why?

O’Brien: Anyone who wants to take their CDI program to the next level. Our presentation will highlight those qualities you should look for in a physician advisor, demonstrate the direct effect a physician advisor can have on physician engagement, and show how a physician advisor can more closely align the coding and clinical worlds.

Q: What do you think is the most important quality for a CDI professional to have?

DiMeglio: CDI professionals need to have many skills, including clinical expertise, communication skills, and the ability to analyze data. But the most important skill a CDI professional needs is tenacity. CDI has come a long way. However, there are still providers and other staff who are not as engaged, which requires CDI professional to continue to develop new engagement approaches.

Q: What are you most looking forward to about this year’s conference?

DiMeglio: I love attending the ACDIS conference because I always learn something new and meet new CDI professionals that I continue to network with after the conference. My favorite part of the conference is the education, but I love being with the thousands of CDI professionals. I really liked the ACDIS app last year. It kept you up to date with what was going on and you could track all the activity.