by Laurie L. Prescott, RN, MSN, CCDS, CDIP

I recently taught a CDI Boot Camp at a large, multi-site organization, with attendees coming from CDI, HIM, and quality departments from four different sites. We began the week discussing the Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, moving through each Major Diagnostic Category (MDC), and talking about concerns related to code assignment and sequencing.

What drives a CDI department into the crazy world of the ED? Well, like other areas, the reasons are often as varied as facilities themselves—and the transition may be easier for some departments than others.

Each quarter, ACDIS publishes a list of newly minted Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist (CCDS) holders on the website. In another blowout quarter, more than 60 CDI professionals earned their credential during the first quarter of 2017, according to CCDS Coordinator Penny Richards.

Still reeling from the 10^th annual ACDIS conference in Las Vegas? Thrilled by the sessions and excited to share what you learned with your co-workers? Can’t wait until next year’s event? Well, it’s already time to start planning the 11^th annual conference in San Antonio, Texas, for next May. And, we need your help to pull it off.

Whether your chapter is brand new or mature, fostering new networking participants can be a troublesome task. It can often be difficult to even know where to start. Luckily, ACDIS provides chapter leaders with a number of resources for every step of the local chapter process. The following tips and tricks (and many more) can be found under the “Getting Started” section on the Local Chapter landing page.