CDI Recognition Day?

bmurphy@hcpro.com

Hi CDI Talkers and ACDIS members, I have something important I'd like to
ask your opinion on.



Ever since we started ACDIS we've been getting requests about
establishing a day of recognition for CDI specialists. Most professions
have something similar and I don't think CDI specialists should be an
exception! We're long overdue for getting this started and I'd like to
gather some of your thoughts to get the ball rolling.



I and a couple members of the advisory board have done a little looking
into this, and it appears that these recognition days are largely up to
the hosting association (there is no clearinghouse or official
application for national days of recognition, as far as we can tell). So
it may be as simple as selecting a day and promoting it, both on our end
and on yours.



Some questions I'd like to ask include:



1. Do you think this is a good idea?

2. What would we call it?

3. What would be a good time to do it?

4. Should we consider reaching out or pairing this up with another
association (please note that I don't want to turn this into a nursing
vs. HIM/coding discussion; I think the CDI profession is its own unique
profession)?

5. How should we promote it?

6. What can ACDIS do to help out?



Thanks everyone,

Brian



Brian Murphy, CPC

Director

Association of Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists (ACDIS)

200 Hoods Lane

Marblehead, MA 01945

781-639-1872, ext. 3216

bmurphy@cdiassociation.com

shoffman

I have often thought there should be a CDI day. I thought someday near Him
week would be great, but that was only me humble opinion. It would be a
wonderful opportunity for CDI to promote itself throughout the hospital
with special events, etc.





Sylvia Hoffman R.N. CCDS
Clinical Documentation Specialist
Tampa General Hospital
Phone 813-610-4818

cstukenberg

This subject has come up with the ACDIS advisory board. Thank you for your input. It will give us ideas as we go forth.

dallend@einstein.edu

I think a CDI recognition day is a great idea. We are still a mystery to many and it would help spotlight our group.
I think CDS recognition day is good. I like the idea that someone else made regarding celebrating around the time of the conference. Those that are at the conference can celebrate and those of us who cannot attend can have our own recognition.
I would like to see it stand on its own so we are not confused with any other group.
Perhaps an article in nursing spectrum and advance would be a good start. I really haven't seen anything that I can recall about our specialty in either magazine.
We have a large display case that is always decorated for the different recognition days/weeks. Other facilities may have something similar.
Great idea!!

sbeatty

I think this is a great idea. I agree that we need to make this about our professional role independent of HIM or nursing recognition activities. We are all equal players in this role, and I would like us to promote what our role brings to the table as a distinct professional activity. Another CDI-Talk poster mentioned our annual conference as a time around which to plan, and I think that could be good, but would also want the CDS to be present within their organization to educate their own colleagues about what we do and why we do it. Perhaps we could do a day of the week pre-annual conference, which would allow staff to participate in both. Or even a day of the week after, which would allow sharing of things learned, perhaps. As for the name of the recognition day, I think we need to reinforce the most common term used for the role we perform, which appears to be Clinical Documentation Specialist. Could we get our individual executive teams to promote our contribution? Do we individually have doctors we work with who would write a testimony about how we contribute to patient care quality, safety, etc.? Rather than team with another association, can we approach them to provide testimony regarding what we do to facilitate their work? I think our organization could help by providing a repository of recognition ideas that could be stored and shared among all, and perhaps provide promotional support.

cstukenberg

I see a lot of good discussion about the CDI recognition day. I would like to see it around the conference time but not at the exact same time. This way you can celebrate at work and showcase what we do and still attend the conference.
The name is always an issue but mainly we need to spell out what CDI or CDS stands for instead of just the initials. (i.e. case management isn't known as CM week or day)
I really do not want to team up with another association unless their focus is only CDI. If we team up with HIM or nursing or case management or similar we will dilute our day and recognition within theirs even if we hold it at a different time.
If we find another organization/association that only focuses on CDI then we may want to talk with them so we can all be on the same page.

Colleen Stukenberg MSN, RN, CMSRN, CCDS
815-599-6820

Unknown

I think this is an excellent idea. Having other associations, doctors,
etc. give testimony to how our work helps facilitate their work is key
to making people realize what we do and our importance.



Gina Spatafore, RN

Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialist

Waterbury Hospital

203 573 7647

nursronnam

I agree with Colleen, it is still difficult at our hospital for nursing and other ancillary staff to see us apart from UR. We need to be able to celebrate what our role is and that it is different from CM & UR. Just my thoughts

fishdl@shands.ufl.edu

I agree with Jolene - she articulated exactly what I was thinking.

sbeatty

My apologies for not being clear. Of course we would spell out our profession and what it is we do. For the sake of list discussion, I used an acronym we are all familiar with.

dog

I guess I'll be the minority vote. I'm still waiting for my boss to recognize in any possible form that I passed the CDS exam almost three months ago. Most days I still have remind the same docs I see every day that I'm not their case manager. No matter how much I try to be minimally invasive and at the same time teach them why I do what I do, for the most part they see documentation as an irritation and tell me that I only care about money.

My supervisor is the HIM director, and I get assigned many ancillary tasks to help out Medical Records, but I was deliberately not included in the HIM week celebration because "you had Nurses' Week." So I guess I am first and foremost an RN, who happens to work in the CDS role. I'll stick with the nurses, I suppose. Because it will be a very cold day in a very warm place before CDS is recognized here.

Renee

Linda Renee Brown, RN, CCRN, CCDS
Clinical Documentation Specialist
Arizona Heart Hospital

Unknown

Linda Renee,

I am so sorry to hear your story. My boss (Quality Director) made such a big deal out of my becoming certified.

I do understand the HIM part - HIM Director thought it was my job to get all queries answered on the floor. What I mean by that is she wanted me to take all the coder's queries up to the floors and find the physician responsible and get the query answered. It was a bit of a surprise to her that I politely declined her offer!

And CONGRATULATIONS on passing the certification exam and become a CCDS.


Charlene

bmurphy@hcpro.com

Hi Renee, that is disheartening to hear your story.

I do think that it only underscores the fact that we need a CDI recognition day. It will help provide recognition for the profession and spread the word about the importance it plays not only in reimbursement, but quality, physician profiles, and more.

I also congratulate you on passing the CCDS. That's a great accomplishment.

Thanks to everyone for the great feedback, by the way.

Take care,
Brian

Brian Murphy, CPC
Director
Association of Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists (ACDIS)
200 Hoods Lane
Marblehead, MA 01945
781-639-1872, ext. 3216
bmurphy@cdiassociation.com

stacy.vaughn

Well, I am from the other side of spectrum. I am not a RN in a CDS role.
Therefore, I cannot know what is actually going on because of it. I plan
on becoming certified to verify to everyone that can function adequately
in this role.

dog

Well, thank you, Charlene. You are sweet.

I am always expected to handle the coders' queries, even if I don't think they're valid. Perhaps it's my punishment for not having asked the query myself.

Renee

dr_dexterdcosta@yahoo.com

We might want to be cautious with our posts/comments on these public emails that go out to everyone as it can be misinterpretated by your bosses/superiors as we being unhappy with the work we do!