Note from the ACDIS Director: Saying thanks for a great 2019
by Brian Murphy
The holidays are fast approaching, which makes it the perfect time to pause express my deep gratitude to the ACDIS membership. You all played a critical role in every one our major accomplishments and milestones this past year.
Again, I’ll stress: Everything here was the result of our members giving of their time, effort, and energy through serving on a board or committee, as a guest on a program, as a speaker at a conference, or as a writer of a paper. There is not one thing here that ACDIS did on its own. Instead, we helped coordinate a lot of time, effort, and most importantly, channeled a very real passion for the profession into a number of resources for you. Thanks for being a part of it all.
I’m sure I have missed a few, and if your favorite 2019 CDI memory is not listed here, send me an email and I’ll write an addendum: bmurphy@acdis.org.
So, without further ado, here’s a recap of the items that make me particularly proud of our 2019 accomplishments:
Changed our name. ACDIS is no longer the Association of Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists; we are the Association of Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialists. A near unanimous vote of the advisory board confirmed what we’ve known for some years—that CDI is not just about financial “improvement,” but about strengthening the overall integrity of the record. Read all about the “why” here.
Published a new query practice brief, “Guidelines for Achieving a Compliant Query Practice—2019 update,” in conjunction with AHIMA. While an update of prior briefs, this version introduced a much-needed new guideline allowing the use of prior records when querying physicians. We also collaborated on a subsequent Frequently Asked Questions document, available in the CDI Journal.
Launched the CCDS-O certification (and later, a study guide). The goal of the CCDS-O program is to develop a mark of excellence for CDI professionals operating in outpatient settings, as well as provide employers with a baseline of competency for existing staff and potential new hires. The certification program is also expected to spur the development of core competencies for outpatient CDI professionals and encourage the development and standardization of national best practices for outpatient CDI departments. I cannot more profusely thank the year-plus long effort of the CCDS-O certification committee. It was an epic effort which led to the creation of fair and effective exam.
Started an ACDIS Scholarship program. Giving back to our amazing community of CDI professionals is of utmost concern that’s why we worked with a volunteer committee to develop the ACDIS Scholarship. We will be awarding three scholarships annually and plan to expand the program in the coming years. I can’t wait to meet our first recipients!
Delivered another great national conference and Outpatient Symposium. We held our 12th annual conference in Orlando, and our third annual Outpatient Symposium in Austin, Texas. There is nothing like getting out on the road, seeing our members, and watching them present their expertise on the podium. Our conference committee helped to select all our sessions, and our members, expert consultants, and vendors helped deliver first-class education. We hope to see you in Vegas in May for Lucky 13.
Published CDI Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. This position paper provides an overview of the CDI profession past to present. It explains what CDI professionals do and how their efforts are traditionally measured. It then describes how the CDI profession is evolving to meet the changing demands of healthcare delivery.
Began the provider engagement series. Provider engagement remains the number one problem for CDI departments nationwide, according to ACDIS survey data. To help generate some real-world solutions for our members, the ACDIS advisory board has begun developing position papers, case studies, and quarterly conference calls on this topic, with a culminating panel session planned for the 2020 national conference. Stay tuned for more to come in the following months.
Commented to CMS on the 2020 IPPS proposed rule. Our newly formed Regulatory Committee wrote a brilliant comment to CMS that I believe helped to arrest the sweeping changes (read: downgrades) CMS had proposed to the CC/MCC lists. Led by Candace Blankenship, this committee is making its voice heard and is helping CDI professionals become advocates.
Published a paper in conjunction with ASPEN and The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Consensus recommendations for optimizing electronic health records for nutrition care. The goal of this document is to provide recommendations to clinicians for working with an organization’s information systems department to create tools for documentation of nutrition care in the electronic health record. I’m proud ACDIS was able to collaborate on this effort with two of the nation’s foremost authorities on nutrition and malnutrition.
Published the 2020 ACDIS Pocket Guide. We created a new version of the must-have CDI resource with co-authors Laurie Prescott and James Manz of the Mayo Clinic, and published it in November. Our members have been saying great things about the new look and content. Look for the outpatient version in early 2020.
Created new leadership resources, including the ACDIS Leadership Council and the 3M leadership research series. Managing a CDI department is very challenging and can feel quite isolating. We created a peer-to-peer group that includes regular Council meetings, a leadership newsletter, and opportunities for face-to-face collaboration. And if you want to learn more about the challenges and opportunities presented to today’s CDI leaders, check out the webinar I’ve linked to above, which we did in conjunction with 3M.
For a week, we made CDI Superheroes. This was probably my favorite CDI Week theme, and our members thought so too, responding with some incredibly fun (and suitably caped and masked) pictures of departmental celebration. It was at time to remember that the work of CDI professionals is pretty darned heroic, and inspiring.
Broadcast 26 episodes of the ACDIS Podcast. If I’m being fully honest, next to working with great colleagues, the most fun part of my job is the ACDIS Podcast. I love talking with interesting guests and thought leaders throughout the industry. There is no shortage of great work being done and innovative ideas and solutions to share; the ACDIS Podcast allows me to do just that and is now fully available on your Apple Podcasts.. Look for more innovations and improved production values on the program next year.
Thank you again to everyone who played a role in our work. And best wishes on your continued personal and professional growth in 2020.
Editor’s note: Murphy is the director of ACDIS. Contact him at bmurphy@acdis.org.