Note from the Associate Editorial Director: First Journal of 2022 focuses on CDI basics

by Linnea Archibald

A new year often means a spike in gym memberships, dieting, decluttering, and resolutions for all the ways people plan to better themselves and their lives in the coming 12 months. Of course, we all know (and the data bears out) that most resolutions peter out by sometime in February. I’m guilty of this myself too. I would run out of fingers tallying the number of resolutions I’ve confidently made and subsequently abandoned over the years, and I’m sure you could tell similar stories. 

Part of the problem, in my opinion, is that we try to build the new routines, practices, and habits too big. Rather than considering our current life rhythms and making minor adjustments, we try to turn our lives upside down with the flip of a calendar page. Do you know what my most successful resolution has been? Making my bed right when I get up in the morning. I made that resolution in 2017. It takes me all of three minutes, and though I’ve missed a few days here and there, I’ve been consistent in building the practice into my routine.

The beauty of something as simple as making the bed in the morning is that not only is it an exceptionally low bar, but it’s also not a new concept. Most of us grew up with our parents telling us to make our beds. Over the years, though—myself included—we push our earlier habits, the things instilled in us by our elders, to the wayside in an effort to “save time” or because “it doesn’t really matter that much.” I’m suggesting that we rewind and reexamine what old practices, old habits long discarded might serve us well in the new year.

While this practice of reexamination will benefit your personal life, it’s also worth reexamining the basic practices you’ve disregarded in your professional life. That’s why we’ve dedicated the first edition of the CDI Journal in 2022 to CDI basics. It’s not just the ones you learn during your orientation period, either—it’s the basics of management, expansion, and more that could benefit your CDI practice.

Within the newest Journal’s pages, readers will learn about

• Need-to-know basics for new CDI professionals
• Tips to nail your CDI job interview
• The experience and personality hiring managers look for
• Getting new positions approved for your CDI department
• Developing a record review process
• The process for choosing the best vendor for your needs
• Soft skills necessary for good leadership
• The principals of servant leadership
• The most helpful key performance indicators for CDI
• Outpatient risk adjustment fundamentals

This edition also includes articles recapping the 2021 ACDIS conference, our first in-person event in two years, and previewing the 2022 ACDIS conference by Editorial Director Melissa Varnavas. Plus, we’ve included the newest joint ACDIS/AHIMA paper focused on CDI technology standards.

The ACDIS team hopes you enjoy this latest edition and find some helpful information to brush up on your CDI basics in the new year. The March/April edition of the CDI Journal will focus on CDI education efforts, with a special focus on unusual and out-of-the-box ideas. If you’d like to contribute, wish to share your CDI journey, or suggest an article idea, please feel free to email us.

Editor’s note: Archibald is the associate editorial director, publications and membership, for ACDIS. Contact her at larchibald@acdis.org.