Dear John,

Why hold the ACDIS conference? It’s a very fair question to ask. The team and I have wrestled with this decision many times over the last several months.

In the end, we’ve decided to press on.

Why? Here’s my best answer.

I believe that our country needs to try to regain some sense of normalcy, and we want to be part of that. Schools are back in session. So too are events that offer entertainment, including concerts, sporting events, and other like gatherings. ACDIS is a blend of these, offering structured learning and CEUs, but also networking and fun. We believe this event is a fundamental, uniting thread in the fabric of the CDI community, and vital to its health and growth.

Our discussions and survey data reflects that this is the wish of many of our members and CDI community. For example, we’ve asked all our selected speakers about their continued willingness to come and present. The vast majority have expressed enthusiasm to present their ideas in person. We want to honor all their hard work and materials preparation. We’ve also spoken with attendees at other conferences and consistently hear that people are thrilled to be getting out of their homes and seeing other people outside of a computer screen.

We can do it safely. ACDIS is part of a larger company, Simplify Compliance, that has held recent live events successfully. We are seasoned in the events department. And we’re committed to running this event safely, placing the highest priority on the health and well-being of our guests. Here’s how we are supporting that commitment:

• We’re REQUIRING indoor masking, regardless of vaccination status, except when actively eating/drinking, or for our speakers presenting on the stage/at the podium.
• Meeting rooms will be set up to allow for social distancing.
• To view all the safety measures that Sheraton Dallas has implemented, please see the information listed on their website: https://whattoexpect.marriott.com/daldh. You can also view our full event registration policies here.
• We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 environment, the recommended guidelines, and communicate adjustments to the onsite policies and procedures as we approach the live event date.
• We highly encourage all in-person attendees to be vaccinated. If you’re not vaccinated, please consider our virtual option (see below).

If you can’t come … go virtual! Regardless of your schedule or comfort level, we want all CDI professionals to have an opportunity to participate, so we are offering a VIRTUAL option. Next Steps: An ACDIS Encore offers a packed agenda of pre-recorded sessions, plus a virtual poster session. Attendees of the live annual conference in Dallas can attend free, and others can purchase this virtual event for about half the price of the in-person event.

However you choose to engage with ACDIS this year, we look forward to your participation and to stepping forward, together.




Brian Murphy
Director, ACDIS