Note from the Associate Editorial Director: Hard work and opportunities at the one-month countdown to #ACDIS2019

By Melissa Varnavas

A couple weeks ago when ACDIS Director Brian Murphy was asked what’s new about this year’s conference. He replied “everything.” (If you follow us on social media, be sure to look for @ACDISEditor Linnea Archibald’s “It’s all new!” gif.)

I’ve been to 10 of the 11 ACDIS conferences. If you come this year, you’ll no doubt meet others who’ve attended that many. One of the principal reasons CDI professionals come back again and again is that while many of the core competencies remain consistent staples of the annual event, each speaker offers his or her own unique insight into the topic, some new twist on or solution to the challenges faced back home every day.

Another reason is that alongside those perennial trials come brand new opportunities. Some of these opportunities come from new regulatory initiatives or innovative approaches to cross-departmental integration such as sessions this year which explore how CDI can have an effect on population health and the hospital revenue cycle. Other opportunities come from looking outside the traditional boundaries of CDI into alternative settings such as one session this year which covers CDI on the burn unit.

Another reason is that folks who come to the national conference frequently end up connecting with like-minded CDI professionals who ultimately become mentors and life-long friends. The annual conference becomes a family reunion of sorts. We’ve said it before, and it may seem cliché, but it’s definitely true.

If you’re still on the fence and haven’t committed to coming this year, there are still a few opportunities to get involved.

First, we have some additional space for poster presentations. If you have an interesting aspect to your program—from remote work to tip sheets to collaboration—and think you can put your efforts into a poster session please reach out to Certification Coordinator Penny Richards (prichards@acdis.org). Poster presenters get $200 off the cost of conference admission.

Second, don’t miss out on today’s special throwback Thursday discount. If you missed getting registered for the special early bird discount rate, use code ACDISEB100 at checkout to get $100 off your registration.  

Finally, the hotel discount cutoff is right around the corner, Monday, April 29, so you’ll definitely want to register for the conference and take care of booking your room by then.

T-minus 31 days and counting. Hope to see you in Orlando!

Editor’s note: Varnavas is the associate editorial director of ACDIS. Contact her at mvarnavas@acdis.org.