Note from the Instructor: Prescott joins ACDIS’ education team

by Laurie Prescott, MSN, RN, CCDS

Six years ago I left a position as the director of education at a large hospital and took on the role of CDI specialist. I was not sure what the role entailed or how I was going do it but knew that with more than 20 years in nursing I had the tools I needed to succeed. I had spent the majority of my nursing career in acute care, primarily medical surgical with experience in ICU, PACU, endoscopy, one-day surgery as well as medical units. I worked as a unit manager of MED/SURG and ICU units, adjunct professor for an ADN program and then moved to onsite education and clinical support of nursing staff, before making the change to CDI. I knew I brought a strong clinical background, exposure to a wide variety of healthcare organizations and a specialty of education to the table, but also knew that I had little experience with healthcare reimbursement, MS-DRGs, and coding practices.

Fortunately, my new supervisor took a chance on me, a risk I will forever appreciate, and offered an experienced team of coders to train me and the patience to let me learn and grow and try new things. Together, we built a very successful CDI program. So far, this has been one my proudest career accomplishments. Yet now I proudly embark on another career shift.

Change can be stressful and frightening but that is precisely why it is so exhilarating. And it is why, when I made the decision to join the HCPro/ACDIS team as the new CDI Boot Camp instructor, I did not hesitate. As a person who actually enjoys change (strange I know), the challenges of CDI and the growth of our specialty over the last few years have been a welcomed challenge.

Now I am packing up those experiences and taking them with me in my new role. I am so excited to use my skills in new ways and grow each day by taking on new challenges and learning new skills from the ACDIS team and all the students I will potentially be teaching.

On a personal level, I have two daughters who are now young ladies. One recently graduated and the other is entering her junior year in college. The nest is on the verge of being empty, and while bittersweet, it will enable me to travel the country teaching and engaging in a new chapter of my life.

My other “child” is a 120-pound lab/Pyrenees mix by the name of Romeo.  Although he won’t be able to join me in my travels, I am sure some pet hair will cling to me wherever I go! My husband of almost 30 years and I love to spend our spare time riding our the motorcycle (a midlife crisis purchase!) and are now beginning to think about where we will settle and spend our retirement (although it is still a number of years away).

That is why this change is a positive one for me, time to spread my wings a little, meet and learn from a whole new group of people and expand my horizons, and help others who struggle with the challenges of CDI and ICD-10.

Editor’s Note: Prescott became ACDIS’ second full-time CDI education specialist starting her role at HCPro, Inc., based in Danvers, Massachusetts, last week (at the time of this article's original release). She brings a rich background in CDI, nursing, and education to the position. She will spend her first weeks working with CDI Education Director Cheryl Ericson and ACDIS Director Brian Murphy, observing CDI and CDI for ICD-10 Boot Camps.