Meet a Member: A desire to be an agent of change led her to CDI

Ashley Comiskey, MSN, RN, CCDS, is the facility CDI supervisor at Baptist Health Paducah in Kentucky, and she’s the treasurer for the Kentucky ACDIS local chapter. She’s been in the CDI field for two and a half years and will be celebrating three years in October.

ACDIS: What did you do before entering CDI? Why did you get into this line of work?
Comiskey: I’ve been a RN for 15 years. I spent eight years as a critical care nurse, two years in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), and two years as a physician educator for Baptist Health System’s accountable care organization (ACO) and clinically integrated network (CIN).

While working with the CIN and ACO, I did a lot of reading and studying into value-based care, payment systems, population health, and associated quality metrics. CDI kept coming up in my study and I eventually reached out to the CDI program to assist in providing documentation tips to include in my monthly newsletter.

Assisting the physicians in reviewing their individual quality data was also part of my job as the ACO/CIN educator. I quickly learned that in order to be an effective ally for our healthcare providers and change agent for the hospital and system, I needed to understand where the data came from, how the codes were applied in relation to their documentation, and how to accurately capture and reflect the quality of care that was being given. I felt learning the CDI practice was the avenue to achieve this goal.

ACDIS: What has been your biggest challenge?
Comiskey: I’ve had several challenges but coming to CDI in a supervisory position with no previous CDI experience has been my biggest challenge. There is so much information to know and I was shocked to learn how much work goes on behind the scenes. It was intimidating, but the staff that I supervise, the CDI educators, CDI manager, and all of the coding staff have been very supportive and have made me feel at home in this position.

ACDIS: What has been your biggest reward?
Comiskey: Being selected as the 2019 ACDIS Rookie of the Year and receiving a Nursing Excellence in Patient Safety Award from Baptist Health Paducah for 2019.

ACDIS: How has the field changed since you began working in CDI?
Comiskey: It seems that something is changing weekly, if not daily. Since starting in CDI, I have really noticed a shift from DRG maximization to quality type reviews. In our own organization, we have expanded our CDI department to include a PSI nurse who reports findings to the facility quality departments.

ACDIS: Can you mention a few of the “gold nuggets” of information you’ve received from colleagues on The Forum or through ACDIS?
Comiskey: I use the ACDIS website for all kinds of things! I love looking through the education materials that other people have developed for their facilities. It has helped me tremendously in developing education specific to my facility’s needs.

ACDIS: If you have attended, how many ACDIS conferences have you been to? What are your favorite memories?
Comiskey: I’ve been to two ACDIS conferences so far, both the national conference and the Outpatient Symposium. I am also planning to attend the Lucky 13^th in Vegas!

ACDIS: What piece of advice would you offer to a new CDI specialist?
Comiskey: I recommend three things:  

• Get the ACDIS Pocket Guide
• Complete the CDI Apprenticeship course
• Attend a Boot Camp

ACDIS: If you could have any other job, what would it be?
Comiskey: Probably a travel agent, but I’d have to go on all the trips with my clients!

ACDIS: What was your first job?
Comiskey: Delivering flowers for a local flower shop.

ACDIS: Can you tell us about a few of your favorite things?

• Vacation spots: The beach, any beach.
• Hobbies: Traveling, cooking, and watching true crime documentaries.
• Non-alcoholic beverage: La Croix.
• Foods: Cheesecake.
• Activities: Spending time with my family and friends.

ACDIS: Tell us about your family and how you like to spend your time away from CDI.
Comiskey: I am a single mom to a beautiful five-year-old boy, Xander, and am a caregiver for my great-aunt, Wanda Mae (98). I’m also a very proud aunt to Genevieve (4) and Gwendolyn (2). I live close to my brother and his family, and my dad and his wife. While I lost my mom almost four years ago, she is still very much a part of my family unit. I spend most of my time away from CDI with my family. We enjoy vacationing together, playing board games, hiking, and swimming. Last year after the ACDIS conference, we did a family vacation to Disney World.