Featured Member: Triathlon athlete loves continued learning

Melinda Scharf, RN, BSN, CCDS, CCS, regional clinical documentation integrity educator at St. Joseph Hospital in Irvine, California, has worked in CDI since 2008 after serving as a pediatric nurse for 10 years and an ER nurse for 11.

CDI Journal: Why did you get into this line of work? 
Scharf: A friend who was a case manager told me about the job. The hospital was starting a new program, and it sounded interesting. I really didn’t understand exactly what it was at the time!

CDI Journal: What has been your biggest challenge and the biggest reward? 
Scharf: The lack of physician engagement. There has been more support over the years, but it is still a big problem. The learning continues on a day-to-day basis and will never end. The opportunity to work with a great team and the opportunity to impact the new clinical documentation specialists that are entering the field, have been my biggest rewards.

CDI Journal: Can you mention a few of the “gold nuggets” of information you’ve received from colleagues on “CDI Talk” or through ACDIS? 
Scharf: As an educator, I frequently refer to articles on the ACDIS website as a resource. I have referred to Dr. Richard Pinson’s article on respiratory failure many times. We use the CDI Pocket Guide as a resource for our staff. I used the ACDIS position paper on Sepsis-3 to help guide our staff on handling the new sepsis definition. Dr. Robert S. Gold was very helpful when I was having trouble advising our team on whether to assign a Glasgow Coma Scale score in a patient with hepatic encephalopathy.

CDI Journal: What piece of advice would you offer to a new CDI specialist?
Scharf: Research and understand every diagnosis you are asking for. If you earn the doctor’s respect, this will be half your battle. And don’t get discouraged!