2025 ACDIS Conference

2025 ACDIS Conference

Sunday, May 4 – Wednesday, May 7, 2025

The 17th annual ACDIS conference returns to sunny Orlando, Florida in May 2025, and the ACDIS team invites you to seek inspiration beneath the palm trees.

Each person has unique experiences and perspectives to share—this is a chance to share yours and hear from others. Join your CDI community and consider this: Who will you inspire in 2025?

The 2025 ACDIS conference features critical industry insights, transformational keynotes, and ample networking opportunities. As always, ACDIS provides continental breakfast, lunch, snacks and beverages during breaks, and an opening night reception, all included with registration.

After attending this event, learners will be able to:

• Determine data elements and metrics necessary to ensure your CDI program’s return on investment
• Identify strategies for managing denials and mitigating risk
• Summarize the elements of a compliant physician query
• Discuss strategies for engaging providers with clinical documentation integrity efforts

Who Should Attend?

• Clinical documentation integrity specialists
• CDI staff
• Inpatient coders
• CDI managers/directors
• HIM managers/directors
• Case managers
• Revenue integrity specialists
• Chief financial officers
• Chief medical officers
• Physician advisors 

Join us for a FREE live information webinar on February 12 to hear about all the 2025 ACDIS Conference details. REGISTER HERE!

 2025 ACDIS Conference

Speakers

Tamara Adolph, MHA, RN, CCDS, is the system director of CDI at AdventHealth. She is excited to be part of an evolving department dedicated to ensuring complete and accurate documentation. She received her associate’s degree in nursing at Daytona State College and later her master’s in healthcare administration through AdventHealth University in 2020. She acquired her CCDS in 2017 and her CDIP in 2018. She has worked for more than 11 years for Florida Hospital, now AdventHealth Orlando, with her last clinical focus on the surgical progressive care unit as a preceptor and charge RN. She transitioned to the CDI department in 2015. Her past experiences have increased her knowledge and understanding of the importance of compliance and clear, concise documentation, and she is dedicated to the growth and success of CDI and provider education.

Nancy Aming, RN, BSN, MSHA, BC, CCDS, SLR, has over 40 years of experience in medical-surgical, nursing, pediatric burn care, and post-anesthesia care. She has 25 years of experience as the nursing operation manager at Orlando Health’s level 1 trauma center for preoperative, postoperative, stage 2, and same-day pre-admission patients. After working in pulse trauma in Orlando, Aming moved to clinical documentation excellence and performed concurrent reviews in 2016. In 2017, she transitioned to being a second-level reviewer.

Viji Anchan MSN, RN, CPN, CRC, CCDS-O, is a CDI specialist at Nemours Children’s Health focused on risk adjustment and chronic condition recapture rates across 21 Nemours primary care sites in Delaware and Pennsylvania. With over 23 years of nursing experience, she is valued for her expertise in clinical documentation and dedication to improving patient outcomes. She is a passionate advocate for pediatric CDI and has shared her knowledge by presenting at the 2024 ACDIS Symposium: Outpatient CDI and several Nursing of Children Network (NCN) conferences. Anchan is also a member of the ACDIS Diversity and Inclusion Committee and the founding leader of the DESIaN ARG at Nemours, which promotes cultural and healthcare initiatives.

Wendy Arafiles, MD, has been a practicing pediatric hospitalist at Phoenix Children's Hospital for over 15 years, with a specific interest in children with medical complexity and technology dependence. She has also filled the role of medical director of the CDI program since 2018. In her dual roles, she is intertwining skills in medical education, innovations in quality improvement for children with medical complexity, and foundational understanding of hospital finance. Her goals are to optimize the institution's ability to describe the complexity of the patient population and develop high-value programs in patient and family service. Arafiles has presented on both CDI and medical complexity topics at several national conferences, and she is an active member of the Pediatric Documentation Research Collaborative, a research group that focuses on documentation-related issues in pediatric hospitals.

Blanca Arguello, MSN, RN, is an accomplished registered nurse with over 30 years in diverse areas of nursing, working with nonprofit and community outreach organizations and at various medical centers to provide nursing education. She currently serves as a CDI educator under the Office of Quality and Patient Safety with the South Texas Veterans Health Care System. She was instrumental in the successful implementation of the CDI program in the outpatient area, including primary care, nursing, and surgical specialties. Arguello has established successful collaboration with HIM and coding to support facilitywide reimbursement and funding efforts. Arguello is committed to advancing nursing excellence and evidence-based practice. She is an ambassador for the Nursing Excellence Committee, and is former Unit Based Counsel chair and secretary of the Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Committee.

Gopi J. Astik, MD, MS, is a hospitalist, lead medical director, and associate professor of medicine at Northwestern University. She completed her medical training at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine and attained a master’s in healthcare quality and patient safety at Northwestern University. She currently serves as the lead medical director of clinical documentation and has spoken nationally about methodology and tactics used by the clinical documentation department at Northwestern Memorial HealthCare. Astik is also the director of professional development for the division of hospital medicine, where she works to design and implement programs to help faculty grow in their careers as academic hospitalists. Lastly, she is involved in research related to quality improvement with a special focus on diagnostic errors and workforce operations.

Valerie Bica, BSN, RN, is the lead CDI specialist at Nemours Children’s Health in Wilmington, Delaware. She has more than 40 years of pediatric/NICU clinical nursing experience, with the last 21 years at Nemours Children’s Health. Her experience includes case management for the pediatric managed Medicaid program and utilization management. Her clinical background is in acute care inpatient pediatrics, pediatric ICU, neonatal ICU, and technology-dependent pediatric home care. Bica participated in establishing the CDI program for Nemours Children’s Health-Delaware. She is a co-leader of the ACDIS pediatric networking group (APDIS). She has presented topics at five national ACDIS conferences and three Nursing of Children Network conferences, and helped to plan the 2015 ACDIS conference. She has presented at regional conferences for Nursing of Children Network and APDIS group meetings.

Katie Bravo, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, is the manager of physician advisory services operations at Intermountain Health, primarily overseeing the hospital concurrent coding team. Bravo and her team collaborate with CDI to bridge the gap between clinical and coding concepts, ensuring the documentation and diagnosis codes are in alignment. Bravo has worked in the health information field for almost 20 years and earned her bachelor’s in health information management at Fisher College in Boston, Massachusetts. She has been the recipient of the 3M Coding Integrity Award and believes in leveraging technology and data to drive process improvement.

Tom Brazelton, MD, MPH, FAAP, is a professor in the department of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and a board-certified pediatric intensivist at UW Health’s American Family Children’s Hospital. Brazelton’s leadership experience has been in telemedicine, peer review, patient safety, hospital-acquired condition prevention, critical care transport, ECMO, and cardiac intensive care. His efforts at both improving systems of care and leading the annual U.S. News Best Children's Hospital survey efforts uncovered significant gaps in clinical documentation. Since his appointment in 2017 as medical director for CDI at UW Health and in 2024 as physician administrative director for coding/CDI/HIM, he and his team have demonstrated marked improvement in nationally reported risk-adjusted quality metrics.

Melissa Buchner-Mehling, MD, CPHYADV, FABQAURP, is the associate chief medical officer with Sound Advisory Services. She began practicing as a hospitalist in 2004 and was actively involved with many committees in the hospital, including the Patient Safety Indicator Committee, Ethics Committee, Utilization Management Committee, Readmissions Committee, and Throughput Committee. She also was the hospital ICD-10 physician champion and CDI physician champion. As a hospitalist, she has volunteered for multiple medical mission trips in Honduras and Kenya. Since her first days with Sound Physicians as a medical director of advisory services, Buchner-Mehling has found innovative ways to educate providers at the hospital.

Lourdes Albino Cacanindin, MD, CCDS, is a seasoned CDI specialist with 14 years of inpatient CDI experience at Sutter Health. She utilized her medical degree for almost 15 years in Manila, Philippines, specializing in pediatrics. In April 2010, she journeyed into the HIM world to become a clinical documentation reviewer at Sutter Delta Medical Center. She obtained her CCDS certification in 2012. She has attended the ACDIS conference each year since 2010, presenting six posters and receiving the 2024 Melissa Varnavas Spirit of Service ACDIS Achievement Award. She is a member of the ACDIS Diversity and Inclusion Committee as well as the California ACDIS local chapter. She is a distinguished member of and esteemed CME speaker for the University of Santo Tomas Medical Alumni Association, where she graduated magna cum laude in pre-med.

Angelica Cage, MBA, BSN, RN, CCDS, CCS, CDIP, is the CDI director for Tufts Medicine, an integrated health system based in Burlington, Massachusetts. Cage has over nine years of CDI experience, including acute care hospital and health system CDI management and as a senior consultant/advisor. Her background includes critical care nursing in the trauma/surgical/neuro ICU, burn ICU, and PACU, as well as time in case management, utilization review, and quality/risk management. Cage has been a speaker at multiple national ACDIS conferences, a guest speaker on the ACDIS Podcast, and a guest columnist in the CDI Journal. She currently serves as the Texas ACDIS chapter co-leader, chair of the ACDIS Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and a member of the ACDIS CDI Leadership Council. She formerly served on the ACDIS Regulatory Committee and the ACDIS Chapter Advisory Committee. Cage is also the recipient of the first Accomplishment in CDI ACDIS Achievement Award.

Thea Campbell, MBA, RHIA, is an innovative servant leader committed to achieving top performance by leveraging a compelling vision of efficiency, growth, and diversity. She served as the senior director of a health information department at a large academic medical center in the western United States before becoming a vice president over the health system’s mid-revenue cycle. She has also worked in consulting, specializing in healthcare-related revenue cycle improvement and HIM. Her experience includes workflow efficiency and redesign, outsourcing oversight as a vice president, and leadership of all sizes of HIM departments. She has expertise in privacy and information sharing, revenue cycle management, implementation and optimization of technology, CDI, focused regulatory compliance, and computer-assisted coding. She earned her bachelor’s in HIM at the College of Saint Scholastica and her master’s in business administration at the University of Colorado–Denver. She serves as a member of the AHIMA Board of Directors as well as president-elect.

Adriana Cecchini, MSN, RN, CIC, CDI specialist at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, has been a nurse for more than 15 years. She has experience in both acute care and infectious disease/public health. She has served as a co-chair for the Massachusetts ACDIS chapter and is on the Board of Directors for Health Innovations.

Angela Comfort, DBA, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CCS-P, serves as the assistant vice president of revenue integrity at Montefiore Medical Center in New York. With over 30 years of extensive experience in HIM operations, coding, CDI, and quality, Comfort has established herself as a leader in the field. Comfort is an active member of several professional organizations, including the Tennessee Health Information Management Association, AHIMA, ACDIS, and the Healthcare Financial Management Association. She is recognized as a subject matter expert and has delivered presentations at local, national, and international conferences. Comfort holds a bachelor’s in health administration from Stephens College, as well as a master’s in business administration and a doctorate in business administration with a focus in healthcare administration from Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville.

Kim Conner, BSN, CCDS, CCDS-O, is a senior CDI consultant and denials management specialist with over 11 years of CDI experience and 20 years of clinical experience as an ICU/burn trauma nurse. She drives improvements in clinical documentation accuracy, compliance, and revenue cycle management for healthcare organizations nationwide. Conner's expertise includes inpatient and outpatient CDI program development, physician education, compliance auditing, and data analytics. She has developed and delivered customized CDI education for hospital systems across the country, previously serving as a CDI education specialist for ACDIS. As a seasoned professional, Conner collaborates with multidisciplinary teams to enhance documentation practices, reducing documentation-related denials and improving financial performance for clients. She also develops robust denial management and appeal strategies, successfully recovering reimbursement in denied claims and safeguarding revenue streams.

Kathryn DeVault, MSL, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, FAHIMA, is a manager of HIM consulting services for United Audit Systems, Inc. (UASI) based in Cincinnati, Ohio. DeVault has more than 20 years of experience within HIM, including serving as the senior director of HIM practice excellence, coding, and reimbursement for AHIMA prior to joining UASI in March of 2014. DeVault was one of the primary ICD-10-CM/PCS content developers and instructors for the AHIMA ICD-10-CM/PCS Academy. Named as one of the top 10 CDI experts by ACDIS in 2017, DeVault has authored multiple HIM and CDI articles, including co-authoring the ACDIS/AHIMA Guidelines for Achieving a Compliant Query Practice. She has presented numerous seminars and educational sessions on HIM- and CDI-related topics.

Mary Alice Dewees, BSN, RN, CCDS, CRC, is the director of CDI for Hartford HealthCare (HHC) in Connecticut. She started her CDI journey at Hartford Hospital in 2009 and has grown the CDI department across all seven HHC acute care facilities as one centralized team. She leads 46 CDI nurses across seven hospitals and a nine-member professional billing audit and education team. Dewees' prior clinical experience includes adult critical care, newborn critical care, and NICU care management.

Keisha Downes, MBA-HM, BSN, RN, CCDS, CCS, is the vice president of middle revenue cycle for Beth Israel Lahey Health, based in Massachusetts. Downes also is an adjunct professor, teaching courses in coding and HIM. Her volunteer experience includes contributing to the AHIMA CCS Standard Setting Panel as a subject matter expert and to the ACDIS Advisory Board as an elected member for the 2024–2027 term. Downes co-authored the ACDIS/AHIMA Guidelines for Achieving a Compliant Query Practice—2022 Update and was the reviewer for the 2024 and 2025 editions of the ACDIS Pocket Guide. A nurse for 21 years, she attained her BSN from Liberty University and her MBA with healthcare management concentration from Western Governor’s University. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Medical Science in healthcare leadership at Northeastern University.

Sheila Duhon, MBA, RN, CCDS, CCS, A-CCRN, is recognized nationally as a leader in CDI best practices. She has an extensive background in critical care nursing and multiple senior leadership roles across the country. Duhon has served at the CDI director level for national organizations, including a focus on the role of UM impact and optimization for Steward Healthcare. Duhon has spoken several times at the national ACDIS conference as well as local ACDIS chapters. She has been featured on the ACDIS Podcast and in the CDI Journal. A long-standing member of the ACDIS CDI Leadership Council, Duhon was awarded the CDI Professional of the Year Award at the Orlando ACDIS conference in 2022. She authored CDI Workbook: Investigating Complex Cases and Formulating Queries, published by HCPro.

Karen Elmore, BSN, RN, CCDS, is the program manager for physician and CDI engagement, documentation, and education at BJC HealthCare based in St. Louis. Elmore focuses on CDI education for CDI specialists, physicians, coders, and ancillary staff. She also leads the CDI preceptor council, reviews clinical insurance denials, and mediates mismatches between CDI staff and coders. Elmore has spoken at several local ACDIS chapters and been a guest speaker on industry podcasts. Elmore has spoken at the 2018, 2020, and 2024 ACDIS conferences. She was awarded the ACDIS Excellence in Provider Engagement award in 2020. Elmore is a member of the ACDIS Events Committee, ACDIS Chapter Advisory Board, ACDIS CDI Leadership Council and its Mastermind group, is a co-lead of the Kansas City ACDIS chapter, and was a co-leader and founder of the Missouri State ACDIS chapter and the Show Me State ACDIS conference.

Cheryl Ericson, MS, BS, RN, CCDS, CDIP, is the director of CDI, UR, and CM at Brundage Group. She is a healthcare revenue cycle expert with over 25 years of experience in the industry. She is recognized as a CDI subject matter expert for her work, which includes many speaking engagements and publications for various industry associations. She has helped establish industry guidance through contributions to white papers, practice briefs, and books with AHIMA and ACDIS in the areas of CDI, denials management, quality, technology, and querying. Ericson currently shares her expertise as the CDI correspondent for the Talk Ten Tuesdays podcast in addition to her duties with Brundage Group.

Okemena Ewoterai, RN, BSN, MA, CCDS, CDIP, CCS, is the director of CDI at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York. She has over 15 years of CDI experience and over 20 years of nursing experience. As part of her CDI experience, she has educated nurses and providers on clinical documentation techniques and workflows, and engaged in software selection and quality review processes (PSI, Elixhauser, and HCC). Ewoterai has published practice briefs and white papers for ACDIS and AHIMA, including co-authoring Clinical Validation: The Next Level of CDI and ACDIS/AHIMA Guidelines for Achieving a Compliant Query Practice—2019 Update. Ewoterai has been an officer in the Greater New York ACDIS local chapter, served on the ACDIS Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and is currently a member of the ACDIS Advisory Board. She has also been a guest on the ACDIS Podcast.

Stacia Gandee, RHIA, CCS, CDIP, has been a clinical documentation specialist since February 2017, quickly earning a promotion to clinical validation CDI specialist in 2019 and transitioning to a manager role in 2020. Prior to this, Gandee worked as an inpatient coder for nine years. Gandee is a member of her organization’s sepsis committee and has attended national conferences to ensure her CDI program is optimizing impact in patient care, documentation, and the coding of sepsis. Gandee brings ambition, knowledge, and coding expertise that is instrumental to organizationwide change in practice as it relates to the integrity of clinical documentation and coding.

Michael Gao, MD, is the co-founder and CEO of SmarterDx, a clinical AI company that helps hospitals find every revenue and quality opportunity. Prior to SmarterDx, Gao was an assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell and medical director for transformation for New York-Presbyterian where he led applied AI. Gao completed his bachelor’s at the University of California Los Angeles, his MD at the University of Michigan, and his internal medicine residency and Silverman Fellowship for Healthcare Innovation at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell.

LeeAnne Gill, BSN, RN, CCDS, is a pediatric and adult CDI specialist and a quality analyst at the University of Wisconsin Hospital. As a CDI quality analyst, she is an experienced initial and secondary record reviewer. She plays a crucial role in educating the CDI team and creating and maintaining internal CDI guidelines, including leading the creation of internal CDI pediatric guidelines. She collaborates and educates across departments, including representing CDI in nursing grand rounds. She is also an ACDIS-Approved CDI Educator.

Mercy C. Gonzalez, MSN, RN, CCDS, is a CDI auditor and educator serving at the University of Chicago Medicine. In her role, Gonzalez is responsible for CDI staff education, delivering provider-facing presentations, conducting query and chart audits, and actively contributing to the PC-06 committee, where she collaborates with providers to address challenges with documentation in normal newborn care. Gonzalez holds a master’s in nursing, and as a member of the ACDIS CDI Educators Networking Group and a CCDS credential holder, she brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her work. She has led numerous staff education initiatives, including the development and implementation of the cardiothoracic observed-to-expected (O:E) project and various query guidelines. Her contributions have notably enhanced the O:E metrics in the cardiothoracic program, setting a benchmark for similar initiatives.

Terrance Govender, MD, serves as the vice president of medical affairs at ClinIntell, bringing over 20 years of experience in clinical practice and healthcare management. His clinical background spans emergency medicine and trauma surgery. After transitioning from full-time clinical work, he gained valuable insights in healthcare consulting, where he recognized the critical need to involve physicians in the documentation process while also understanding the systemic challenges that hinder success. In his current role, Govender passionately advocates for innovative, augmented solutions to address the documentation challenges faced nationwide. He frequently speaks on patient population severity reporting and is a strong proponent of leveraging advanced analytics for data-driven decisions that enhance efficiency and achieve sustainable improvements in severity documentation.

Kristine Green, MSN, RN, is the vice president of clinical documentation at Northwestern Memorial HealthCare. Green has worked as a nurse and in the healthcare industry for 27 years, and in the quality and CDI realm for the past 18 years. During her time in this role, Green aligned clinical documentation as a system function across Northwestern Medicine and integrated clinical documentation nurses with physicians and advanced practice providers through in-person rounding experiences at each hospital. These initiatives have helped to drive measurable and sustained improvements in accuracy and expected quality outcomes: Northwestern Memorial Hospital is ranked as a USNWR Honor Roll Hospital and a Vizient top-decile hospital, and four other Northwestern hospitals also received top-decile honors in their respective cohorts. Green also serves as a member of the ACDIS CDI Leadership Council and a mentor.

Stacey Haines, CCS, is the coding supervisor of quality outcomes validation at the Johns Hopkins healthcare system. She has 38 years of HIM experience, focusing on coding and clinical documentation at large academic centers, community hospitals, and children’s hospitals.

Rebecca Hendren is the director of ACDIS and the director of CDI and revenue integrity for HCPro. She is responsible for managing ACDIS' strategic direction, including evolving the organization, overseeing member benefits and educational products and services, and ensuring the association provides thought leadership and serves as an authoritative voice in the industry. She is a member of the ACDIS Advisory Board and hosts the “Talking CDI” series on the ACDIS Podcast.

Tamara A. Hicks, MHA, BSN, RN, CCS, CCDS, CCDS-O, is the enterprise director of CDI operations at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, now part of Advocate Health. She has more than 40 years of nursing experience, including over 26 years in CDI. A founding member of Wake Forest’s CDI team in 1999, she also served as a founding member of the ACDIS Advisory Board and was reelected to the board in 2016. Hicks co-wrote the original CCDS and CCDS-O exams, serves on the ACDIS CCDS-O Certification Board, and was the 2019 ACDIS Professional of the Year.

Elizabeth "Liz" Hodgeson, RN, is the clinical auditor and quality review specialist for the CDI program at Banner Health. Hodgeson joined Banner’s CDI department in 2022 and became a CDI auditor in 2023. She brings with her 17 years of nursing experience, including pediatric emergency, inpatient psych, telemetry, home infusion, preop/PACU, preadmissions, and telephone triage. She enjoys mastering CDI concepts, learning about coding, chart reviews, and auditing charts. She is passionate about helping her teammates and inspiring positivity throughout the department.

Carol Ann Hudson, RN, is a registered nurse with over 30 years of experience in population health, informatics, regulatory programs, nursing, and practice management. She is currently the AVP of quality and clinical operations in population health at Lifepoint Health. The population health team is responsible for Lifepoint’s portfolio of accountable care organizations and clinically integrated networks (AdvantagePoint Health Alliance), along with other value-based initiatives. Hudson brings her clinical experience to the team to help the networks, facilities, and providers improve clinical health outcomes of their assigned patient populations by promoting quality, care coordination, and patient engagement. Hudson has three teams doing care navigation, ambulatory CDI, and annual wellness visits. In addition, her team leads the quality reporting for all eight networks.

Faisal Hussain, MD, MHIIM, RHIA, CCDS, CDIP, CCS, is the CDI executive director for Wellstar Health System, overseeing CDI strategy and operations for the entire system, which comprises 11 hospitals, more than 330 medical offices, and services such as cancer centers, rehabilitation centers, hospice facilities, and urgent care locations. With a strong background in CDI, he has worked in both outpatient and inpatient settings, successfully leading CDI initiatives at large physician practices and hospital systems nationwide. Hussain is a recognized industry leader, currently serving on the ACDIS Advisory Board and ACDIS CDI Leadership Council and formerly a member of the ACDIS Regulatory Committee. He regularly speaks at national and local ACDIS and AHIMA conferences, and has been invited to speak on various CDI and HIM podcasts, including the ACDIS Podcast.

Penny Jefferson, MSN, RN, CCDS, CCDS-O, CDIP, CCS, CRC, CRCR, CHDA, CPHQ, ACPA-C, is the manager of CDI programs at UC Davis Health. She entered the world of healthcare 33 years ago as a medic in the U.S. Army. Her career includes a variety of roles (CNA, LPN, RN, BSN, MSN) with 14 years as a critical care nurse and 13 years in CDI. Jefferson accepted a position with Mayo Clinic in 2019, where she started as a concurrent CDI reviewer and progressed to supervisor of CDI. In December 2022, she accepted a position with UC Davis Health as CDI manager, where she is excited to continue her career path in CDI leadership.

Jason Jobes, MSPA, oversees all solution partnerships and delivery for Norwood’s healthcare partners. These partnerships focus on bringing health to hospitals’ bottom lines, improving performance across the revenue cycle and value-based care terrains. During his career, Jobes has delivered over $500 million in return on investment for partners. Jobes holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from The University of Hawaii at Hilo and obtained his master’s degree in predictive analytics from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He is passionate about making healthcare better and more affordable, particularly for those who may not be able to pay for or access it.

Deborah Jones, MSN, RN, CCDS, is the senior director of insights at Tendo, a software and analytics company focused on improving quality rankings and ratings through improved documentation. As product owner for the QDI and insights applications, Jones collaborates with product engineers, data scientists, and sales teams to drive strategic design, implementation, and growth. Previously, Jones held key roles at Mass General Brigham in Boston, including executive director of quality, director of CDI, and CDI specialist. In her career, Jones has found joy and purpose in mentoring others, helping young professionals achieve their career aspirations, and cultivating future leaders in the field. A recognized thought leader, Jones has appeared on the ACDIS Podcast, contributed to the ACDIS Events Committee, and was an inaugural member of the ACDIS CDI Leadership Council. She received the 2021 CDI Professional of the Year ACDIS Achievement Award.

Kearstin Jorgenson, MS, CCS, CIC, CPC, COC, is the senior director for physician advisor services at Intermountain Healthcare. In this role, she supports operations for physician utilization review, CDI, physician education, and physician appeals and denials. She has over 25 years of experience at Intermountain working in revenue cycle, quality, CDI, and utilization review.

Kathleen Joseph, RN, BSN, CCDS, is a CDI quality analyst and educator at Franciscan Alliance hospitals in Indiana. She has over 30 years of experience in the nursing industry, including 17 years in the field of CDI. She is passionate about teaching and strongly believes that true learning can only happen by sharing knowledge. As a part of the CDI QA team, Joseph develops and provides education to all levels of CDI specialists and assists with education for the coding department as needed. Her mantra that she lives by is “Working together to make our CDI team better!”

Fran Jurcak, MSN, RN, CCDS, CCDS-O, is an accomplished senior executive with over 30 years of success in healthcare practice, education, consulting, and technology. She is currently the chief clinical strategist and SVP of clinical services at Iodine Software, where she supports the development and implementation of innovative technology to support the clinical revenue cycle process. Jurcak is focused on allowing healthcare teams to work at the top of their licenses through efficient workflows, removal of duplicate effort, and collaboration between teams to support positive patient outcomes. She has worked side by side with CDI specialists, UR nurses, coding staff, and healthcare executives to drive efficiency and quality in the clinical revenue cycle process. Jurcak received the 2017 Recognition of CDI Professional Achievement Award from ACDIS, served two elected terms on the ACDIS Advisory Board, served on the certification boards for both inpatient and outpatient CDI certification, and currently sits on the NAHRI Advisory Board.

Fakhar J. Khan, MD, has over 12 years of experience as a hospitalist and is a passionate leader who drives quality patient care and clinical excellence at Hartford HealthCare. As the medical director of revenue cycle, he oversees the revenue cycle operations and performance for HHC, ensuring compliance, efficiency, and accuracy. In addition to his administrative role, he is active clinically as a hospitalist at Hartford Hospital. He has a strong background in care management, continuous improvement, and interpersonal communication, which he leverages to identify and implement solutions to streamline workflows, optimize protocols, and enhance patient outcomes.

Elaine Koetje, BS, BSN, RN, CCDS, CRCR, CHC, is a clinical assurance program manager at Corewell Health Hospital in West Michigan. Koetje’s responsibilities involve leading 19 inpatient CDI nurses in concurrent CDI reviews, DRG denials, and collaborative reviews with coding, quality, and quality safety and experience for mortality and PSI reviews. Koetje’s past nursing experiences encompass a variety of clinical settings, including medical/surgical, neonatal ICU, urgent care, and pre-surgical nursing. Beyond the bedside, her held roles in revenue cycle include CDI specialist, clinical analyst in patient financial services, and system compliance analyst. Koetje’s active professional affiliations include a CCDS certification from ACDIS, membership on the ACDIS CDI Leadership Council, a certification in healthcare compliance from the Health Care Compliance Association, and membership in the Healthcare Financial Management Association with a certification as a revenue cycle representative.

Karla Kozak is the editorial manager for products and events at ACDIS. She edits and oversees the development of all ACDIS book titles, including the ACDIS Pocket Guide series, as well as the content on ACDIS PRO. Kozak is the chair of the ACDIS Events Committee and works closely with its members to plan the national conference and select the recipients of the ACDIS Achievement Awards. Additionally, she leads the Physician Advisor Mastermind and is chair of the ACDIS Physician Advisor Committee. Kozak also hosts the bimonthly segment “Conversations With Karla” on the ACDIS Podcast, where she is joined by contributors to ACDIS’ most popular products.

Lindsey Kramer, BSN, RN, has worked as a nurse for over 20 years and has been with Northwestern Medicine for 17 years. She is currently the director of clinical documentation and quality utilization. In this role, she has supported the expansion of Northwestern Medicine’s obstetric/pediatric/neonate program across the system. She is passionate about the quality of the medical record and takes pride in collaborating with frontline physicians to improve its accuracy.

Amy Kratochvil, RHIT, CCDS, CDIP, is the system director for HIM, coding, and CDI for UChicago Medicine. She has been in the coding and CDI field for 20 years, starting as an inpatient coder at UChicago Medicine and entering an auditing and coding manager role within a few years. The CDI program started under her leadership in 2009 and has grown from two to 25 CDI specialists. Kratochvil has worked closely on initiatives related to LOS planning, improvement in expected mortality, denial prevention, and PSI/HAC reductions. She is always looking for ways that technology can help, including recently working with the data analytics team to target discrete data elements for documentation opportunities. Kratochvil was elected to the ACDIS Advisory Board for the 2024–2027 term, is a current ACDIS CDI Leadership Council member, and was a past member of the 2023/2024 ACDIS Leadership Council Mastermind.

Cindy Labins, RN, MSN, CCDS, is a CDI specialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) in Boston. She has over 31 years of nursing experience with a clinical focus in oncology and critical care. In addition to her clinical experience, Labins has held positions as an assistant nurse manager, a nurse manager, and a coordinator for an outpatient pulmonary hypertension clinic. In addition to her primary CDI role, Labins has participated in several committees to support CDI best practice not only at BWH but across the Mass General health system. Labins was a former co-lead for the Massachusetts ACDIS chapter, has presented a poster at an ACDIS national conference, and is currently the team lead at BWH.

Edgar V. Lerma, MD, FACP, FASN, FPSN (Hon), earned his degree from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines, and completed a fellowship in nephrology and hypertension at Northwestern University in Chicago. Lerma has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and presentations. At present, he holds the rank of clinical professor of medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago and educational coordinator for the section of nephrology with Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Lerma is also Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes knowledge translation lead and social media ambassador. His research interests include chronic kidney disease, diabetic kidney disease, hypertension, and dialytic therapies.

Lucinda Lo, MD, is a practicing pediatric hospitalist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, which she joined in 2003, and a clinical associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Lo is board certified with the American Board of Pediatrics in both general pediatrics and pediatric hospitalist medicine. In addition, Lo is currently the physician advisor for CDI and CM. She provides education to medical staff on topics related to CDI, provides feedback about their clinical documentation, participates in utilization management and denial reviews, and assists in the formulation of associated institutional policy and practice. Lo has presented on CDI at various national conferences, including ACDIS, NPAC, PAS, and PHM.

Richelle Marting, JD, MHSA, RHIA, CPC, CPMA, CEMC, CPC, CPC-I, is a healthcare attorney with a focus on medical coding, billing, reimbursement, HIM, and managed care contracting. She has in-house experience as an HIM professional, including interim director of managed care contracting, interim health system privacy officer, compliance coordinator, billing office coordinator, medical coder, medical records clerk, and certified nurse aide. Marting has helped recover and retain millions of dollars for healthcare organizations and individuals through defending payer audits and preparing appeals. She has also served as an expert in litigation supporting attorneys on matters related to HIM, reimbursement, and privacy.

Melinda Matthews, MHA, BSN, RN, CCDS, CDIP, is the inpatient manager of CDI at Advocate Health Wake Forest Baptist. As a devoted patient advocate, Matthews is a registered nurse with more than 30 years of healthcare experience, approximately 15 years of which have been within the CDI profession.

Keri Miller, BSN, RN, CCDS, CCS, is the CDI manager at the University of Miami Health System in Miami, Florida. With nine years of experience in the CDI field, Miller has worked in consulting, community hospitals, and academic medical centers. Her current role emphasizes team education on compliance, DRG optimization, and capturing quality measures. She is passionate about leading the Michigan chapter of ACDIS and offering educational opportunities for CDI professionals throughout the industry. Miller is also a member of the ACDIS Chapter Advisory Committee, the ACDIS Leadership Council, and the ACDIS Educators networking group.

Tiara Minor, RN, BSN, CCDS, brings over a decade of expertise in CDI to her role as director of CDI at the University of Miami Health System in Miami, Florida. She has gained valuable experience across a diverse range of hospital systems—from large academic medical centers to community hospitals, children's hospitals, and outpatient clinics. Her career journey began in the emergency department, where she served as an EMT and later as a registered nurse. Minor’s innovative approach and dedication have earned her national recognition: She was a member of the team that received the 2022 ACDIS Achievement Award for Diversity in CDI, and she received the 2023 ACDIS Achievement Award for Professional Achievement in CDI. Minor currently serves on the ACDIS Advisory Board.

Jacob Neubauer, MN, RN-CNL, CCDS, is the regional manager of CDI for the three Milwaukee sites at Advocate Health. He has six years of CDI experience and over eight years of nursing experience, including medical-surgical and orthopedics. He began his CDI career as a concurrent reviewer in 2019 and transitioned to a management position in 2023. Neubauer has been a member of the ACDIS Leadership Council since 2023.

Katie Parsley, RN, MSN, CCDS, CPHQ, is the CDI manager at Providence Health and Services for the Oregon service area. She began her nursing career in the emergency department and started her CDI career in 2017 as a frontline CDI specialist in a multihospital system in Texas. She earned her CCDS certification in 2019 and was later promoted to regional supervisor in 2020, giving her the opportunity to combine her passion for leadership with her love of CDI. In May 2022, Parsley transitioned to her current role as manager with Providence. She has served on the ACDIS Leadership Council since 2021, was interviewed for the ACDIS Podcast and CDI Journal in 2024, and is a member of the 2024–2025 ACDIS CDI Leadership Council Mastermind group.

Marci Pease, BSN, RN, CCDS, is the manager of CDI for Hartford Healthcare in Connecticut. Pease started her CDI journey at Hartford Hospital in 2010 as a CDI nurse. In 2021, she was promoted to CDI supervisor for two of the Hartford Healthcare facilities, assuming responsibility for half of the CDI team. Her demonstrated skills as a CDI leader and innovator led to her promotion to CDI system manager in 2023, where she now oversees the day-to-day operations and workflows for a 40-nurse, seven-hospital CDI program. Pease also serves as a member of the ACDIS CDI Leadership Council, where she continues to share her expertise. Pease’s prior clinical experience includes many years of working at the bedside in medicine and medical critical care.

Alicia Pinsonneault, BSN-RN, CCDS, CRCR, graduated from New Mexico State University in 2013. Pinsonneault’s eight years of nursing experience was primarily in the cardiovascular ICU, where she assisted cardiac surgery patients and managed cardiac assistance devices, including Impella, Tandem Heart®, ProtekDuo®, IABP, and implantable LVAD/RVADs. She also cross-trained as an ECMO specialist. In July 2021, Pinsonneault transitioned to CDI, where she has been reviewing cardiac surgery and cardiac interventional cases for an Ensemble Health Partners client in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the last four years.

Leigh Poland, BS, RHIA, CCS, CDIP, CIC, is the vice president of coding services at AGS Health. She has over 25 years of revenue cycle management experience and has worked extensively in the coding and education realm over the last 20 years. Poland has had the opportunity to present at AHIMA, ACDIS, and AAPC conferences on multiple occasions. She has been a guest speaker for AHIMA webinars and written articles for AHIMA Journal, For the Record, and Part B News. Poland is responsible for managing the continuous coding education and certification preparatory programs for more than 3,500 coders. She is also a key advisor for the AGS Health International Coding Training Academy.

Christopher Riccard, MD, serves as the system vice president of hospital medicine and CDI for AdventHealth and is responsible for the strategic and operational initiatives for over 1,100 hospitalists and 300 CDI specialists across 50 hospitals. His recent CDI projects include implementation of a standardized system clinical validation denials rebuttal process and deployment of a mobile provider CDI platform. Riccard received his bachelor’s degree in integrative health science from Stetson University and subsequently attended medical school at Ross University. He completed his family medicine residency training in Tallahassee, Florida.

LaKisha Richardson, BSN, RN, CCDS, CCS, CRCR, is the CDI manager at Ensemble Health Partners, leading a team of 20 CDI specialists. She also advises the All-Ensemble PSI/HAC subcommittee, enhancing patient safety and healthcare quality. A registered nurse since 1997, Richardson holds a BSN from Baptist College of Health Sciences in Memphis, Tennessee. She has focused on CDI since 2014, co-presented a poster at the 2023 ACDIS conference, and presented a session at the 2024 ACDIS conference. Richardson has also been a guest speaker on the ACDIS Podcast.

Jessica Risner, BSN, RN, CCDS, CRCR, is the enterprise senior director of CDI and clinical denials at Banner Health. With oversight of 30 hospitals in six states, Risner leads a dedicated team of CDI and denials professionals in pursuit of concise documentation that appropriately reflects patient acuity, risk of mortality, and resource utilization. She is an active member of HFMA, the ACDIS Leadership Council, and her local ACDIS chapter. She has multiple publications in CDI Leadership Insider and CDI Journal. Risner has also spoken at the ACDIS Leadership Exchange, on the ACDIS Podcast, as part of Becker’s Innovation Panel, and at the ACDIS conference.

Kathleen Romero, MSN, RN, CCDS-O, EBP-C, is an accomplished registered nurse with over 35 years of experience in a wide range of nursing specialties, from large academic medical centers to international refugee health. Currently, she serves as a CDI RN educator with the South Texas Veterans Health Care System, a position she has held since 2018. Romero has played a pivotal role in the expansion of the CDI program, in particular extending it to the outpatient area. She also led the innovative implementation of a CDI program in the emergency department at one of the nation’s fastest-growing VA hospitals, utilizing creative educational methods to ensure smooth adoption and effectiveness. Through close collaboration with quality program analysts, she tracked the program’s success, leading to significant improvements in reimbursement, CPT® code accuracy, and E/M leveling. Romero's expertise in evidence-based practice (EBP) is highlighted by her past leadership as the chair of the Nursing Research and EBP Committee.

Julie Salomon, BSN, RN, is the CDI business director for the Solventum concurrent documentation integrity solutions, including inpatient/outpatient CDI, computer-assisted physician documentation, quality, and concurrent coding. Salomon is a subject matter expert in concepts such as documentation integrity, coding, compliance, quality risk methodologies, and severity/risk-adjusted mortality. She has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, completed an intensive care internship, and holds an infection control practitioner certification. She has been in the healthcare industry for 39 years, the first 10 spent in clinical nursing, providing the foundation for her subsequent 29 years in the revenue cycle space.

Amy Sanderson, MD, is a pediatric critical care physician at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) and is an assistant professor in anesthesia at Harvard Medical School. She was the physician advisor for the BCH CDI program for eight years. Sanderson has presented at several national conferences, published scholarly articles on medical documentation, and contributed to the book Pediatric CDI: Building Blocks for Success. In addition, she is a founding member of the Pediatric Documentation Research Collaborative, a research group that focuses on documentation-related issues in pediatric hospitals.

Jenny Seisser, MSN, RN, is the West Region CDI manager for Northwestern Medicine. Prior to joining the CDI department, she practiced as a bedside nurse with experience in trauma, telemetry, transplant, and critical care. As a CDI manager, she has oversight of three inpatient hospitals, as well as the system's only rehabilitation hospital. Throughout her six-year tenure, she has grown her team from nine to 24 FTEs. She is chair of the system's onboarding and preceptor committee and the query template committee. Seisser has been active in the development of the obstetric/pediatric/neonate program within the West Region since its inception and has worked closely with sister hospitals to expand the initiative throughout the system. She is also an active member of her local Northern Illinois ACDIS chapter.

Robin Sewell, CDIP, CCDS-O, CCS, CPC, CIC, is a clinical coding analyst with Brundage Group. Her background spans 25 years across the healthcare continuum, including RAC audits, clinical validation, and DRG audits. Known as “Queen of Denial,” Sewell used her knowledge of payer tactics to develop the software application “Cleopatra Queen of Denial” on behalf of providers to prevent, manage, appeal, and overturn payer denials. Currently, her scope of practice is identifying CDI and coding opportunities through data analytics and comprehensive DRG reviews.

Diksha Sharma, MD, CCDS, is a physician clinical documentation specialist at the Franciscan Alliance hospital system in Indiana. In her role, Sharma acts as a physician champion, connecting clinical caregivers with the mid-revenue cycle teams. Sharma educates the medical staff on clinical documentation and coding initiatives, emphasizing how best practices in documentation can impact all facets of hospital metrics, including quality outcomes. Additionally, she serves in the role of vice president of the Indianapolis ACDIS local chapter and has presented at several local conferences.

Raman Singh, MD, CCDS, is the enterprise physician advisor for CDI and acute care coding for Banner Health. Offering support to 30 hospitals in six states, Singh’s expertise guides CDI, acute care coding, and provider teams in the pursuit of concise documentation that appropriately reflects patient acuity, risk of mortality, and resource utilization. Singh earned his medical degree from Crimea State Medical University in Ukraine. He went on to practice internal medicine in Chandigarh, India, later becoming CEO and medical director. When he moved to the U.S., Singh worked within the patient transfer center before moving to the CDI department. He was a successful CDI reviewer and CDI associate director before taking on the role of physician advisor. Singh is an active member of HFMA, ACPA, ACDIS, and the Arizona ACDIS local chapter.

R. Kendall Smith Jr., MD, SFHM, ACPA-C, is the chief medical officer and chief physician advisor for PayerWatch, a leading appeal educator and appeal services firm for hospitals and health systems. He has been deeply involved in denials and appeals management throughout his hospitalist career, working collaboratively with the UR/case management departments as well as managed care and C-suite. His familiarity with managed care denials led him to design and implement a number of CDI programs, including those at the Cleveland Clinic in Florida and the MedStar Washington Hospital Center. He has served as a physician leader on hospital revenue cycle management teams as well as the physician advisor for clinical resource management.

Sheilah Snyder, MD, FAAP, is a pediatric hospitalist and CDI physician advisor for Children’s Nebraska in Omaha, Nebraska. The majority of her work is clinical, but her main motivation is to improve clinical outcomes for her patients and accurately document their care. Snyder serves as a physician champion for the hospital’s Epic inpatient team, which allows her to leverage the EMR to help produce excellent CDI outcomes. She has presented on pediatric CDI at the ACDIS conference for several years and is a contributor to the book Pediatric CDI: Building Blocks for Success.

Dave Sowers, BSN, MS, RN, CCDS, is a clinical documentation specialist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. He started his nursing career in 2004, amassing clinical nursing experience in the medical ICU, cardiothoracic surgery ICU, interventional radiology, and post-anesthesia care unit. Sowers transitioned to CDI in 2016 and joined Northwestern Memorial Hospital in 2021. He is currently the CDI RN working on clinical validation denials and appeals at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Jaime Stanford, RN, CCDS, is the RN clinical auditor and quality review specialist for the Banner Health CDI program. Stanford has been a registered nurse since 2002 with experience in OB/GYN, surgery, case management, and utilization review. She began her CDI journey in 2014 and joined Banner in 2016. Stanford joined the education and quality team as an auditor in 2021 and is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in HIM. She appreciates the value of the informatics side of CDI and enjoys developing tools to improve department operations and communications.

Nicole Tebo, RN, BSN, CCDS, is the enterprise director of CDI operations for Advocate Health, located in the Midwest/Aurora market. Tebo is part of the ACDIS Diversity and Inclusion Committee and has 26 years of nursing experience and over 10 years of experience in CDI. In 2019, Tebo was hired as one of the regional CDI managers for the newly formed Advocate Aurora Healthcare, and in 2022, she was chosen as the Wisconsin director of operations. She works closely with chief medical officers and other hospital and enterprise leaders, along with physician advisors, to advance the collaborative and successful nature of Advocate Health’s CDI program.

Jordan Trafan, BSN, MSN-Ed, RN, TCRN, is a clinical auditor and quality review specialist for the Banner Health CDI program. Trafan joined the CDI department in 2021, bringing with her 12 years of experience in the ICU, the emergency department, and the cardiovascular ICU. She has served as a mentor and preceptor for team members. In the last year, Trafan took the opportunity to join the auditing team, continuing her growth in and knowledge of CDI.

Tom Turcich, the 10th person to walk around the world and the first to do so with a dog, captured the world's imagination with his remarkable journey. After the death of a close friend, Tom resolved to make the most of life. The day before his 26th birthday, he stepped out his front door to begin an adventure spanning seven years, 28,000 miles, and 38 countries. By traversing the globe on foot, Tom immersed himself in diverse cultures and landscapes. From the bustling streets of Istanbul to the tranquil beauty of the Kyrgyz mountains, Tom embraced the challenges and triumphs of an extraordinary pilgrimage. His expedition was not just a physical feat but a profound introspection. Each step was a testament to an unwavering commitment to self-discovery and a search for understanding. Through encounters with strangers, weeks of solitude, and a sheer resilience of spirit, Tom emerged as a beacon of inspiration for countless individuals yearning to find purpose in their own lives. His tale serves as a reminder that fulfillment lies not solely in reaching a destination, but in the transformative power of the journey itself. Tom has been featured on CNN, BBC, Good Morning America, The Guardian, and countless other news outlets.

Brooke Twomley, BSN, RN, CCDS, CRCR, is the inpatient CDI manager for Corewell Health West in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Twomley began as an emergency room nurse after graduating from Michigan State University in 2012. She accepted a CDI role in 2017 and transitioned into CDI leadership just two years later. She strives for collaborative excellence and enjoys assisting in program growth through close partnership with coding, system quality, denials management, and physician leaders. Twomley is a strong advocate for PSI reduction for the Corewell Health system.

Dawn Valdez, RN, CCDS, CDIP, CRC, works at Accuity Healthcare as a senior director of CDI education and has more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry. Her experience includes critical care nursing, legal nurse consulting, and CDI education/management for a large hospital system. She was also an educator/instructor for ACDIS until 2023 when she left to join Accuity Healthcare. Valdez has been a guest on the ACDIS Podcast; additionally, she authored the CDI Specialist’s Training Guide, Third Edition, as well as articles for CDI Journal, CDI Strategies, and JustCoding newsletters. Valdez has presented on several topics at ACDIS virtual symposiums and continues to present for ACDIS and AHIMA state associations.

Jessica Vaughn, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, CCDS, CCDS-O, CRC, has been a nurse for 28 years and has 14 years of CDI experience with over 10 years dedicated to risk adjustment operations. She spearheaded some of the nation’s first ambulatory CDI programs focused on value-based care initiatives. In 2022, she joined Advocate Health, the nation’s third largest nonprofit health system, where she leads a large multidisciplinary team focused on population health initiatives including ambulatory documentation, care gap closure, comprehensive care, and revenue cycle management. A leader in the industry, she has spoken at multiple conferences, authored articles, received ACDIS’ Professional Achievement Award, helped write the original CCDS-O study guide and initial certification exam, and most recently reviewed the 2025 ACDIS Outpatient Pocket Guide. She has held clinical certifications in pediatrics, oncology, and chemo- and biotherapy, as well as AHIMA’s approved ICD-10-CM/PCS trainer certificate. She completed her Doctorate in Nursing Executive Leadership at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and advocates for empowering interprofessional healthcare teams to improve patient care.

Sathya Vijayakumar, MS, MBA, LSSGB, is a senior manager with physician advisor services and clinical excellence at Intermountain Healthcare. An engineer by background, Vijayakumar has over 20 years of healthcare experience in various roles from radiology research to data science within surgical services to entrepreneurship in the cardiac electrophysiology world. In her current role, she spearheads multidisciplinary, data-driven projects with the physician advisor services team. She is an avid researcher and publisher/presenter known for her creative thinking and problem-solving in clinical operations. She also reviews manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals.

Kalee Vincent, MBA, RHIA, CDIP, CCDS-O, CCS, is a system enterprise CDI educator at West Virginia University Medicine in Morgantown, West Virginia. She has 18 years of experience in the HIM field with expertise in provider education and hospital severity reporting. Vincent works closely with physicians across the healthcare system, providing education in both group settings and individually as needed. In addition to years of coding and clinical documentation experience, she has also worked with the Heart and Vascular Institute Research Division to provide expertise and support as it pertains to Medicare files in analyses. Vincent is also a member of ACDIS and AHIMA and serves as VP for WVHIMA.

Karla VonEschen, MS, CCDS-O, CPC, CPMA, has been a certified coder since 2002 and is currently a clinical development analyst with Solventum Health Information Systems, a position she has held since May 2022. During her healthcare career, VonEschen also has held positions with health maintenance organizations, consulting firms, and healthcare technology companies. Her experience includes operationalizing benefits, E/M auditing, coding education, and natural language processing. In 2015, she accepted a position as a 3M (now Solventum) coding analyst before transitioning to her current role. In August 2022, VonEschen obtained her master’s degree in HIM from Southern New Hampshire University, and in October 2023, she passed her CCDS-O exam. She has published coding articles and blogs, coding articles, and presented webinars on multiple topics.

Susanne Warford, RN, MBA, CCDS, has been a registered nurse for more than 23 years and has a background in the emergency department, neurosurgical ICU, transplant unit, and case management unit. She has spent the last 12 years in CDI compliance. Prior to her current role, she served in multiple roles including CDI leadership, where she started a clinical denials program and helped systemize and standardize processes for seven facilities throughout Kentucky and Southern Indiana. Warford is currently a manager for Wellstar Health System, which is based in Marietta, Georgia. In her current role, she manages the CDI auditing program. She is a member of the Kentucky/Southern Indiana ACDIS chapter and the ACDIS CDI Educators networking group; in addition, she has served on the ACDIS Leadership Council since its inception and the CCDS Exam Committee since 2019.

Amber Watters, MD, MS, is an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine. She practices clinically as an academic specialist, caring for patients' needs ranging from outpatient visits to robotic gynecologic surgery to complex obstetric care. Watters also serves as a labor and delivery medical director for Prentice Women’s Hospital and is the interim chief of obstetrics for Northwestern Medicine (NM). Her research interests center on healthcare technologies, including the development of NM’s Labor Link, a technologic innovation allowing easy access to and documentation on fetal heart rate tracings from a mobile device. Watters received her medical degree in 2010 from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine; she completed her OB-GYN residency at Northwestern University’s McGaw Medical Center in 2014; and she finished her master’s degree in healthcare quality and patient safety this past June.

Sharra Way, RN, CCDS, has over 20 years of experience in emergency medicine, critical care, interventional radiology, and rapid response nursing. She currently works with the denials management team at Orlando Health where she began her journey in clinical documentation excellence in 2019, performing concurrent reviews. In 2021, she transitioned to denials management, reviewing and defending DRG coding and clinical validation audits based on evidence-based research and practice guidelines. Way is a member of the Orlando Health CDI Diagnosis Committee, where she served as chair from 2022–2024.

Alex Weber is an American Ninja Warrior, award-winning leader, and entertainer positively inspiring millions to achieve breakthrough success. Not only does Alex talk the talk as an in-demand international speaker, but he’s also walked the walk as an elite competitor on NBC’s Emmy-nominated series American Ninja Warrior. Well, more like “leaped the leap”! This wildly popular TV show has sparked a global phenomenon to the extent that hundreds of thousands of people apply, yet only a few hundred are given the rare opportunity to compete. Alex is the only person to host and compete on American Ninja Warrior.

Alex’s greatest passion is championing your highest potential by helping you find your Edge. Success isn’t just knowing what to do, it’s knowing how to do it—and when it comes to masterful execution of your skills, negative energy kills results. In order to perform and lead at your best, you need to access your Edge. Alex shows top professionals and leaders how to bring their very best every day and to the most high-stakes situations that can make or break their success.

It's his sincere understanding of peak performance and peak challenges, mixed with inspiring stories and actionable strategies, that makes Alex unforgettable. With his contagious energy and passion, Alex shares his game-changing secrets to record-breaking success and will be the human shot of espresso to make you come alive!

Alexis Wells, MSN, RN, LSSYB, CCDS, has been a registered nurse since 2008, working in areas including critical care, telemetry, bone marrow transplants, home hospice, and most recently CDI. Her experience in these domains has provided a holistic foundation for her newest role as quality educator, where she provides education across the hospital on topics related to quality opportunities and patient outcomes.

Donna Wheeler, RN, CCDS, is a CDI specialist III at the Johns Hopkins Health System. She has been a registered nurse for over 38 years and possesses more than 13 years in critical care including adult intensive care, electrophysiology, and the emergency department. She has been in clinical documentation since 2008 and obtained her CCDS in 2011. Her experience includes recovery auditing, CDI consulting, and quality improvement for multiple large academic facilities across the country. She is a current member of the Maryland chapter of ACDIS.

Dr. Nika White helps maximize people’s and organizations' effectiveness, potential, and capacity. Her overall praxis and scholarship are in organizational development, specifically focusing on systematically operationalizing strategic and intentional efforts that foster diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). Her holistic approach centers on the organization’s most essential asset—its human capital. Dr. White is an award-winning management and leadership consultant, keynote speaker, and published author, including her latest release, Inclusion Uncomplicated: A Transformative Guide to Simplify DEI, published by Forbes Books. As the founder and lead principal consultant of Nika White Consulting (NWC), a full-service boutique DEIB consulting firm, she led a team with the mission of making DEI practical so that organizations can shift systems to cultivate a culture of belonging and go to the next level of the DEI journey.

Deanne Wilk, MPS, BSN, RN, CCDS, CCDS-O, CDIP, CCS, is the CDI education director for ACDIS at HCPro, overseeing the development and instruction of education relevant to CDI. She serves as an instructor for the CDI Boot Camps and as a subject matter expert for ACDIS. Wilk is an accomplished healthcare professional with a diverse background in health information, medical coding, nursing, and CDI. With a strong passion for making a difference, Wilk has dedicated her career to improving the quality and integrity of clinical documentation within the healthcare environment for improved patient care. Having received a master’s degree from Penn State University and a BSN from Drexel University, she acquired the necessary skills and knowledge to establish CDI programs, direct CDI departments at large academic medical systems and community hospitals, and educate throughout the CDI profession. Over the years, Wilk has worked on numerous projects aimed at advancing CDI education, growth, and awareness

Brittani Winkler, MHA, BSN, RN, CCDS, CCDS-O, has been a registered nurse for 13+ years with a background in medical/surgical nursing, home health, case management, and CDI. Within the last seven years, she has worked in many aspects of CDI, including inpatient, outpatient, clinical validation denials, and project management. Winkler has earned both the CCDS and CCDS-O credentials and obtained her master's degree in healthcare administration. She is currently a manager of CDI at Wellstar Health System, which is based in Marietta, Georgia. In her current role, she is responsible for leading CDI department initiatives, analyzing data, being a liaison for hospital stakeholders, and evaluating strategic expansion opportunities. Winkler is also a current member of the ACDIS Resource Library Committee.

Linda Wiseman, RN, BSN, CCDS, has been a registered nurse for over 35 years and has an extensive clinical background in the emergency department, as well as the surgical and intensive care units. Currently, she serves as a director for UASI’s CDI solution practice. With UASI, Wiseman has managed several successful CDI Implementations, which involved intensive project management and provider education, CDI physician advisor training and mentoring, didactic education, and clinical mentoring to client CDI staff members. She also has expertise in MS-DRG, APR-DRG, and IR-DRG at the Cleveland Clinic in Abu Dhabi. Prior to joining UASI, Wiseman was engaged with Vizient CDI, working in risk adjustment for all methodologies, CDI/provider education, and mentoring. She has been in CDI for 17 years with 14 years in CDI consulting.

Britta Wofford, RN, BSN, CCDS, CRCR, is the inpatient CDI manager at Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital, a 1,100-bed level 1 trauma center in Royal Oak, Michigan. Before joining the CDI team, Wofford worked as a bedside and charge nurse in the surgical ICU, the kidney and liver transplant unit, as well as the unit supporting patients with life-threatening respiratory failure. In 2016, she began her CDI journey as a CDI specialist and transitioned into a managerial role in 2020. Her passion is to uphold the integrity of the medical record and educate the CDI teams along with the hospital providers.

Beth Wolf, MD, CPC, CCDS, is board certified in internal medicine, palliative medicine, and clinical informatics. She spent 20 years at the bedside and 10 years as a CDI physician advisor in a four-hospital healthcare system, serving as the primary liaison to the medical staff on coding and documentation issues. She currently trains physicians on the impact of their documentation and works to improve data reliability and align CDI efforts with physician and system priorities.

Tamika Wolford, BSN, RN, CCDS-O, CRC, is a registered nurse with over 24 years of experience in nursing and 13 years of CDI experience in both the inpatient and ambulatory settings. As a subject matter expert in ambulatory CDI, she has helped drive excellence in programs just getting off the ground. Wolford has worked with a wide range of organizations, from community hospitals to academic medical centers, and has consulted at various stages of the revenue cycle, improving documentation and helping avoid denials. She is also certified in risk adjustment coding and has obtained her CCDS-O certification.

Chia-Shing Yang, MD, FACP, FHM, has spent the last decade building physician enterprise solutions for partners from coast to coast, and she is passionate about developing standard-setting bedside teams. A board-certified internist, Yang obtained her bachelor’s from the University of Virginia and medical degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School; she completed her residency at ChristianaCare. Formerly a faculty member at Texas A&M, Yang speaks nationally about human-centric healthcare ecosystems and the future of care.

Alma Yap, BSN, RN, CCDS, CDIP, CCS, began as a nurse extern in the neurosurgical unit while pursuing an associate degree in nursing. As a progressive care certified nurse, she practiced in multispecialty inpatient care settings. In 2013, Yap transitioned to a CDI role where she has since worked closely with residents and hospitalist service lines in large teaching hospitals. Yap graduated with a BSN from Arizona’s Grand Canyon University in 2014 and is completing a master’s in healthcare quality and safety in the fall. She actively volunteers as a CEU coordinator for the California ACDIS local chapter, facilitating bimonthly educational webinars for the HIM and CDI communities..

Michael Zaplin, MD, FAAIM, FAAP, MHA, is an accomplished chief medical officer (CMO), physician executive, and physician advisor with a robust track record in advancing clinical operations and physician leadership within multihospital healthcare systems. With an extensive background in hospital management, revenue growth, and patient care enhancement, Zaplin excels in steering healthcare institutions toward operational excellence and financial success. Currently serving as CMO of IPMGMT, he oversees a vast network of internal medicine providers and spearheads the integration of data-driven practices to boost clinical efficiency and business development. In addition to his role at IPMGMT, Zaplin is the founder and CEO of Fractional Physician Advisor. Zaplin’s expertise ensures that hospital systems benefit from top-tier advisory services, integrating seamlessly into their existing frameworks while enhancing patient care and optimizing financial performance. Fractional Physician Advisor provides experienced, dynamic, state-licensed physician advisors to hospital systems at the fraction of the cost of a full-time employee.

2025 ACDIS Conference

Agenda

Sunday, May 4, 2025

2:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Registration

4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Exhibit Hall Grand Opening and Welcome Reception

Monday, May 5, 2025 (Purple & Orange Day)

Attendees are encouraged to wear ACDIS colors (purple and orange!) in celebration of the profession.

7:00 a.m. – 7:45 a.m.
Registration and Breakfast

8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Opening Remarks From ACDIS: Who Will You Inspire?
Rebecca Hendren and Deanne Wilk, MPS, BSN, RN, CCDS, CCDS-O, CDIP, CCS

8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Keynote Session: Unstoppable
Alex Weber

What would you do if you were UNSTOPPABLE? What could you lead? Who might you become? What could you achieve? Everyone hits setbacks, fears, and failures, but not everyone knows how to overcome their challenges with a reliable and consistent system. As an American Ninja Warrior, award-winning host for NBC, acclaimed author, and U.S. Lacrosse Coach of the Year, Alex Weber has reached record-breaking achievements as a leader and peak performer. But with these accomplishments, he's also had to face intense pressure, hard failures, and his own limitations.

In this keynote, Alex gives you his battle-tested system to achieve peak leadership and performance in the most critical moments when you need to be at your best—and when other people need you to be at your best. The stakes are high and you can't afford to lose out to stress, doubt, negativity, and your competition. It is in these moments when you need to tap into your ultimate confidence, creativity, resourcefulness, and peak performance. When most people stop, you will keep going, growing, and getting better so you accomplish your goals that matter most. This is how you win in your work, your relationships, and your life!

9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Breakout Sessions

Clinical & Coding
Optimize Sepsis Documentation for Accurate Quality, Revenue, and Patient Outcomes
Beth Wolf, MD, CPC, CCDS

As sepsis continues to be a leading cause of mortality in hospitalized patients, accurate identification and documentation are crucial. This session will empower you to refine your query practices, ensuring they align with current diagnostic criteria, and gain insights into the financial and regulatory implications of sepsis documentation. Learn strategies to solidify the role of CDI in this key clinical initiative and ultimately improve patient outcomes

Professional Development & Collaboration
Why Synergy Between UM and CDI Is Important to Patient Care
Fran Jurcak, MSN, RN, CCDS, CCDS-O; Sheila Duhon, MBA, RN, CCDS, CCS, A-CCRN; and Michael Zaplin, MD, FAAIM, FAAP, MHA

Documentation continues to be the key link between patient, provider, and payer, with utilization management (UM) and CDI specialists playing key roles in ensuring accuracy in the medical record. Poor documentation does not just impact the healthcare organization; it also has a direct impact on the patient’s care and their corresponding bill. This session will define the needed synergy between UM and CDI while addressing the impact of these roles on patient care.

Quality & Denials
How to Achieve All A's in Healthcare
Alexis Wells, MSN, RN, LSSYB, CCDS, and Stacia Gandee, RHIA, CCS, CDIP

Learn how coding, CDI, and quality can collaborate to ensure accuracy in quality measure data collection and ultimately impact public reporting of provider and hospital performance. The speakers will discuss various quality measures, including those from CMS and individual states as well as quality registries and databases, and explain how claims data affects reporting. Plus, they’ll provide concrete strategies that coding, CDI, and quality departments can implement to effect positive change.

Program Advancement & Innovation
Driving Systemwide CDI Excellence: The Evolution of a Large Health System’s CDI Team From Good to Great
Faisal Hussain, MD, MHIIM, RHIA, CCDS, CDIP, CCS, and Julie Salomon, RN, BSN

Over the past year, Wellstar Health System, which operates a network of 12 hospitals in Georgia, has experienced remarkable improvements, including a 24% leap in staff efficiency and a 34% growth in the financial impact resulting from CDI inquiries. However, these gains were not achieved by increasing the number of FTEs. In this session, hear how the CDI team found new ways to be efficient using their current resources—leveraging data to shape their strategies, adopting industry best practices, delivering thorough training to employees, engaging in partnerships such as with the coding department, harnessing technology, tracking key performance metrics, securing quantifiable results, and embracing continuous process improvement.

Pediatrics & CDI Expansion
Growing a New Program: The Birth Pains and Joys of Obstetric, Neonate, and Pediatric CDI
Jennifer Seisser, MSN, RN; Lindsey Kramer, BSN, RN; and Amber Watters, MD, MS

Learn how Northwestern Medicine expanded their CDI program to include obstetrics, neonates, and pediatrics across eight community hospitals and one academic medical center. The speakers will explain the outcomes of their two-year-old program and provide tips for implementing a similar program at your own hospital. Hear firsthand how to propose this program to the C-suite, cultivate existing staff, leverage IT solutions, engage new providers, and share results with the C-suite.

10:45 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Networking Break (Exhibit Hall)

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Breakout Sessions

Clinical & Coding
A Systematic Approach to Finding CDI Query Opportunities
Kathleen Joseph, RN, BSN, CCDS, and Diksha Sharma, MD, CCDS

Perfect for both novice and advanced CDI specialists, this session will provide a systematic and easy-to-follow guide to ensure thorough chart reviews, thereby preventing missed CDI opportunities. Detailed case examples will be utilized to explain the concept of systematic review. Furthermore, the discussion will cover various “hidden” areas in the record, such as diagnostics, pathology reports, and ancillary staff notes, which CDI specialists can leverage to identify and support query opportunities.

Professional Development & Collaboration
How to Build High-Performing Teams
Tamara A. Hicks, MHA, BSN, RN, CCS, CCDS, CCDS-O, and Melinda B. Matthews, MHA, BSN, RN, CCDS, CDIP

This session will focus on cultivating high-performing teams through the understanding of key elements such as fostering trust, addressing team dynamics, and mastering delegation for overall team effectiveness. This comprehensive approach will equip attendees with skills to encourage productive team environments and achieve collective success; attendees will also get practical strategies and insights that enable them to cultivate and lead high-performing teams.

Quality & Denials
Success You Can’t Deny: Fighting Back Denials With a Winning Combo
Gopi J. Astik, MD, MS; Kristine Green, MSN, RN; and Dave Sowers, BSN, MS, RN, CCDS

In this session, the speakers will describe their multidisciplinary process for evaluating denials and writing appeals, led by a CDI nurse and physician advisor and including frontline clinician champions from service lines. Learn how to leverage the denials and appeals process to educate the CDI team via case-based feedback and how denials can be used to improve future documentation practices for clinicians. Plus, get advice on how to start similar programs at your own institution.

Program Advancement & Innovation
Inspire Critical Thinking to Unlock the Power of Accurate Reconciliation
Angelica Cage, MBA, BSN, RN, CCDS, CCS, CDIP

Accurate reconciliation is crucial to achieving excellent outcomes. In this session, learn how to define reconciliation, create a CDI reconciliation process, and validate the data. Plus, outline the implications of CDI, analytics software, and continued education on reconciliation, and discover the key to inspiring critical thinking through the reconciliation process.

Pediatrics & CDI Expansion
Pediatric Sepsis Update: Phoenix Is the New SIRS!
Lucinda Lo, MD; Wendy Arafiles, MD; and Amy Sanderson, MD

In January 2024, the pediatric Phoenix Sepsis Criteria were published, superseding the SIRS sepsis criteria. Join the speakers to learn what makes the Phoenix criteria unique compared to preceding criteria sets and compared to current adult sepsis criteria. Practice applying the Phoenix criteria by working through several pediatric case example so that you can confidently apply the criteria during your chart review, clinical validation process, CDI queries, and appeals and denials.

12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Networking Lunch—provided (Exhibit Hall)

1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Breakout Sessions

Clinical & Coding
Unwinding Acute Myocardial Injury, Demand Ischemia, and Acute Myocardial Infarctions
Dawn Valdez, RN, CCDS, CDIP, CRC

This session will help CDI and coding professionals identify the differences between acute myocardial injury, demand ischemia, and acute myocardial infarctions through a discussion of basic anatomy and diagnostic testing. Attendees will also gain a better understanding of troponin calculations and the different types of acute myocardial infarctions. Plus, the speaker will discuss relevant coding guidance and Coding Clinic content.

Professional Development & Collaboration
Transforming Perceptions: Inspiring Growth Through Audits
Jordan Trafan, MSN-Ed, BSN, RN, TCRN; Elizabeth "Liz" Hodgeson, RN; and Jaime Stanford, RN, CCDS

Join the Banner Health CDI Auditing Department to hear how changes to their auditing processes successfully transformed staff perception of audits. In this session, the speakers will review the different strategies they implemented to shift the auditing experience from punitive to educational. Learn how they modernized the auditing process using emotional intelligence, and get tips to analyze your own auditing practices and help your CDI department grow.

Quality & Denials
CDI School: A Field Trip on PSI 90 Bus Line—Know Your Drivers and Rules to Ride
LaKisha Richardson, BSN, RN, CCDS, CCS, CRCR

This session is intended to provide CDI and coding professionals with an easy-to-understand approach to addressing PSI 90 and understanding the role they play in their facility’s quality outcomes. The speaker will provide tips for recognizing documentation that indicates the presence of PSI 90 and identifying inclusion and exclusion criteria. Plus, earn how to apply the relevant coding guidelines and Coding Clinic answers as well as identify query opportunities.

Program Advancement & Innovation
Refining Excellence: Data-Driven Second-Level Reviews
Brittani Winkler, MHA, BSN, RN, CCDS, CCDS-O, and Susanne Warford, RN, MBA, CCDS

During this session, the speakers will showcase how they use data to determine the scope of their second-level reviews with a focus extending beyond financial impact to include quality. They will explore how to dive into data and identify the areas of greatest opportunity. Plus, they will discuss the types of second-level reviews, including prebill and quality audits, that helped their organization achieve excellence and passively impact concurrent CDI technology and workflows, staff education, and provider education.

Pediatrics & CDI Expansion
The ROI of Outpatient CDI
Jason Jobes, MSPA, and Carol Ann Hudson, RN

Determining the true return on investment (ROI) for a properly resourced outpatient program that includes staff, management, technology, provider education, and workflow implementation remains difficult. The biggest obstacle most motivated CDI professionals receive is from organizational leadership, and this session will demystify the ROI question—and not just from a financial standpoint. Properly implemented outpatient CDI programs help with the capture of patient severity across populations and increase the quality of individual patient care via improved monitoring of chronic conditions, enhanced scheduling, and accurate problem lists.

2:45 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Networking Break (Exhibit Hall)

3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Breakout Sessions

Clinical & Coding
The ICD-11 Odyssey: Charting the Course for Implementation Readiness
Karla VonEschen, MS, CPC, CPMA, CCDS-O

Several countries are in the process of implementing ICD-11, and, in the next five to seven years, ICD-11 is projected to replace ICD-10-CM in the United States. This session will compare ICD-10 and ICD-11 as well as examine ICD-11 chapters, significant code and documentation changes, and opportunities for physician documentation improvement. The speaker will also discuss challenges with implementation and how organizations can begin preparing for the change now.

Professional Development & Collaboration
From Challenge to Change: Inspiring Transformation Through Servant Leadership
Jessica Vaughn, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, CCDS, CCDS-O, CRC, and Tamika Wolford, BSN, RN, CCDS-O, CRC

This session will explore the critical role of servant leadership in organizational change. By examining the core principles of servant leadership, you can gain practical insight for fostering resilience, empathy, and team collaboration. This presentation will inspire and motivate you to embrace change as an opportunity for growth while also demonstrating how servant leadership creates a positive and supportive environment for successful transformation.

Quality & Denials
Query Denials: The New Battleground With Payers
Cheryl Ericson, RN, MS, CDIP, CCDS, and Robin Sewell, CCS, CDIP, CPC, CIC, CCDS-O

Payers are increasingly employing a new tactic in the denials war: denying the reporting of a diagnosis when attributed to a noncompliant query. Appealing query denials requires expertise in clinical validation and a deep understanding of industry query practice guidance. This session will share both the CDI and coding professional perspectives in performing these types of appeals and explain how collaboration can contribute to higher overturn rates. The speakers will share examples of different query denial trends, with corresponding strategies for refuting the denials as well as query best practices that can minimize them.

Program Advancement & Innovation
Clinical Legal Implications of Payer Documentation Integrity Audits
Richelle Marting, JD, MHSA, RHIA, CPC, CEMC, CPMA, CPC-I, and R. Kendall Smith, Jr., MD, SFHM, ACPA-C

This session will explore the evolving landscape of payer documentation integrity audits, commonly referred to as clinical validation audits. Attendees will receive practical advice on contract negotiations to protect hospital interests and strategies for CDI professionals to manage audit responses. Additionally, the presentation will address common challenges posed by payers, such as restrictive timelines and access issues, which can hinder hospitals' ability to respond effectively. The discussion will also consider the potential for these audits to interfere with clinical decision-making, raising concerns about encroaching on the practice of medicine.

Pediatrics & CDI Expansion
Pediatric CDI: Pediatric Guidelines and Key Diagnoses
LeeAnne Gill, BSN, RN, CCDS, and Tom Brazelton, MD, MPH, FAAP

The pediatric team at the University of Wisconsin (UW) Health comes from a wide variety of backgrounds, including CDI, coding, and pediatric critical care. This wealth of experience allowed the team to develop robust pediatric internal guidelines, all based on best practices and interdepartmental collaboration with pediatric providers. This session will provide a high-level overview of clinical indicators for UW Health’s most common pediatric queries, such as respiratory failure, heart failure, and sepsis.

4:45 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Get Credentialed: An Introduction to the CCDS and CCDS-O
Rebecca Hendren

Join ACDIS Director Rebecca Hendren for a discussion on how earning your CCDS or CCDS-O credential can take you to the next step in your career. Specifically, she will explain what the exams cover, how best to prepare, and what it’s like to sit for in-person or remote-proctored exams.

Get Inspired With ACDIS PRO
Karla Kozak

Join the ACDIS team for an informative discussion about how ACDIS PRO can streamline your medical record reviews, ensure accuracy, and minimize denial risk. Learn best practices for using clinical indicators in your CDI reviews, get tips for applying Patient Safety Indicator exclusions and inclusions, see firsthand all the information ACDIS PRO has to offer, and understand the difference between ACDIS PRO and the ACDIS Pocket Guide.

Tuesday, May 6, 2025 (State Chapter Day)

Wear your state pride to facilitate networking with other people from your area! During lunch, check out tables dedicated to specific networking groups or your state's local chapter.

7:00 a.m. – 7:45 a.m.
Breakfast (Exhibit Hall)

8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Presentation of the ACDIS Achievement Awards
Rebecca Hendren and Deanne Wilk, MPS, BSN, RN, CCDS, CCDS-O, CDIP, CCS

Come celebrate the recipients of the 2025 ACDIS Achievement Awards and discover the incredible contributions these individuals have made to the profession. We’ll also announce the winning organization in the drawing for $5,000 in CDI education and resources!

8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Keynote Session: The Power of Belonging in Healthcare: Unlocking Trust and Connection for High-Performing Teams 
Dr. Nika White

Explore strategies to cultivate a culture of belonging that empowers healthcare teams to thrive, innovate, and deliver exceptional care. This session will highlight the role of belonging in enhancing collaboration, reducing burnout, and driving high performance—ultimately improving patient outcomes. Attendees will gain actionable insights to embed belonging into team dynamics, fostering deeper engagement, trust, and connection across their organization. Discover how inclusive workplace culture fuels high-performing teams, and take away practical tools to strengthen belonging and excellence in the healthcare environment.

9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Breakout Sessions

Clinical & Coding
Brain Compression, Cerebral Edema, and Associated Conditions
Amy Sanderson, MD; Sheilah Snyder, MD, FAAP; and Lucinda Lo, MD

The field of neurologic illness is full of descriptive, nonspecific terms that may not easily translate to diagnosis codes, creating challenges for CDI specialists and hospital coders. Join three pediatric critical care and hospital medicine physicians in a discussion about brain compression and cerebral edema, exploring what these terms mean to providers and how to successfully interpret clinical documentation.

Professional Development & Collaboration
CDI and Quality: Moving From Partnership to a New Role
Mary Alice Dewees, BSN, RN, CCDS, CRC; Fakhar J. Khan, MD; and Marcy Pease, BSN, RN, CCDS

Hear how a large healthcare system’s CDI program developed a collaborative relationship with the quality management department, ultimately creating the unique role of quality improvement clinical documentation specialist. This role is an opportunity for programs to achieve clinical documentation excellence, increase employee satisfaction, promote career growth, and improve patient safety by incorporating traditional CDI work with quality work related to Patient Safety Indicators, hospital-acquired conditions, and risk variables that influence observed to expected mortality. Attendees will take away strategies for determining how this role could benefit their organizations.

Quality & Denials
Impacting O:E Mortality Through Second-Level Non-Mortality Reviews
Keri Miller, BSN, RN, CCDS, CCS, and Tiara Minor, RN, BSN, CCDS

In this session, the speakers will discuss how to improve observed to expected mortality by creating a second-level review team focused on capturing risk adjustment diagnoses to more accurately represent the patient population of the organization. Attendees will learn how to identify ways to better support the organization's mortality goals, establish a second-level CDI risk adjustment program focused on non-mortality reviews, utilize CDI software tools to capture common risk adjustment diagnoses, and demonstrate the impact of a focused second-level CDI risk adjustment program.

Program Advancement & Innovation
Building the Case for a Physician Advisor
Jessica Risner, BSN, RN, CCDS, CRCR, and Raman Singh, MD, CCDS

In this session to learn how to build the case for a dedicated CDI physician advisor. The speakers will discuss the benefits of adding a physician advisor to the CDI team and offer considerations for who can fulfill this role, including different clinical backgrounds to contemplate. Plus, gain insight into how to measure the success of adding a dedicated physician advisor role.

Pediatrics & CDI Expansion
Navigating the Maze of Risk Adjustment: Considering Inpatient, Outpatient, and Ambulatory Settings
Kathryn DeVault, MSL, RHIS, CCS, CCS-P, FAHIMA, and Linda Wiseman, RN, BSN, CCDS

Whether you're navigating inpatient, outpatient, or ambulatory settings, this session is designed to deepen your knowledge of healthcare risk adjustment and its significant implications and provide actionable strategies for improving outcomes. Join the speakers as they unravel the complexities of risk adjustment across various healthcare settings and explore the intricacies of methodologies such as Elixhauser, CMS stars, AHRQ, Vizient QA, and the latest insights on CMS-HCC v28. This session will provide valuable insights into the application of risk adjustment, offering a comprehensive understanding of its impact on healthcare organizations.

10:45 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Networking Break (Exhibit Hall)

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Breakout Sessions

Clinical & Coding
Key Takeaways From KDIGO 2024 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of Chronic Kidney Disease
Edgar V. Lerma, MD, FACP, FASN, FPSN (Hon), and Lourdes Albino Cacanindin, MD, CCDS

This session will tackle the evaluation and management of people with or at risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) based on the recently published KDIGO 2024 Clinical Practice Guideline. The speakers will discuss how to classify CKD, distinguish between CKD and acute kidney disease, and analyze the accuracy of the estimated glomerular filtration rate. Plus, attendees will understand the different approaches to managing patients with or at risk of CKD as well as the value of a comprehensive treatment strategy.

Professional Development & Collaboration
Finding Meaningful Purpose in CDI
Deborah Jones, MSN, RN, CCDS

For nurses and other healthcare professionals who entered the industry with a mission of helping others, finding a sense of meaningful purpose while working in CDI may seem elusive. This session will focus on how CDI contributes to organizational success and how CDI efforts support colleagues, patients, and the broader community. The speaker will discuss how to shift perspective and focus on the broader impact of the role as well as opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Quality & Denials
Mastering the Art of Persuasion: Crafting Effective Denial Appeal Letters
Kim Conner, BSN, CCDS, CCDS-O

Denials continue to be a focus for CDI professionals, and CDI departments are tasked with not only concurrent record reviews for clinical validation, but also writing the appeal letters when validation denials are issued. Learning how to write an effective denial appeal letter involves understanding the reasons for the denial, gathering and presenting relevant evidence and documentation, and articulating a compelling case that leads to improved outcomes. This session is intended to equip individuals with the skills and knowledge needed to persuasively argue for the reversal of a denied claim or decision.

Program Advancement & Innovation
Using Data to Derive Dollars From Cases Unreviewed by CDI
Sathya Vijakumar, MS, MBA, LSSGB; Katie Bravo, RHIA, CDIP, CCS; and Kearstin Jorgenson, MS, CCS, CIC, CPC, COC

The impact of CDI programs is often measured in dollars recovered from query responses, which implies that the more charts reviewed, the higher the query rate, and the higher the query rate, the higher the impact. However, the speakers’ health system is staffed at 0.23 FTE per 1,000 charts, and the system has approximately 50% CDI review coverage; this leaves a lot of revenue uncaptured. In this session, the speakers share how their team creatively used data to identify the opportunity in cases unreviewed by CDI and, with the help of a concurrent coder, successfully recovered millions of dollars in missed revenue.

Pediatrics & CDI Expansion
Mastering Newborn Facility Coding: Key Guidelines and Documentation Strategies
Leigh Poland, BS, RHIA, CCS, CDIP, CIC

Delve into the intricacies of ICD-10-CM/PCS coding and documentation for newborn facility coding. This session will focus on the common coding audit error trends identified in newborn encounters, providing a comprehensive review of the ICD-10-CM/PCS guidelines for newborn, perinatal, and congenital conditions. Additionally, the speaker will highlight key Coding Clinic guidance relevant to newborn encounters. Participants will also gain insights into documentation integrity opportunities and engage in case studies to discuss correct code assignment and documentation practices.

12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Networking Lunch—provided (Exhibit Hall)

1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Breakout Sessions

Clinical & Coding
FIGHT CANCER: Oncology Overview and Query Opportunities
Cindy Labins, MSN, RN, CCDS, and Adriana Cecchini, MSN, RN, CIC

This session will provide attendees with an overview of the different oncology populations and a step-by-step approach to conducting an oncology chart review. The speakers will explain how to identify common diagnoses and review the impact on severity of illness/risk of mortality and quality metrics such as Vizient and Elixhauser. Attendees will also learn the FIGHT CANCER acronym and how it can assist in query opportunities.

Professional Development & Collaboration
Optimizing Hospital Reporting by Empowering Physicians Through CDI Education
Kalee Vincent, MBA, RHIA, CDIP, CCDS-O, CCS, and Terrance Govender, MD

In this session, attendees will learn how to optimize hospital severity reporting through education and provider engagement, encouraging physicians to make an impact through their own documentation. The speakers will discuss how they moved from traditional CDI education to a provider-empowered proposition by taking a top-down approach, educating providers on high-impact, prevalent conditions specific to each service line. Plus, attendees will gain strategies for analyzing the effectiveness of education and reporting.

Quality & Denials
The Impact of Admit Type on Patient Safety Quality Metrics
Penny Jefferson, MSN, RN, CCDS, CCDS-O, CCS, CDIP, CRC, CHDA, CRCR, CPHQ, ACPA-C, and Cheryl Ericson, RN, MS, CCIP, CCDS

In this session, the speakers will provide comprehensive education on the definition of admit type, emphasizing its significance in determining the inclusion and exclusion of Patient Safety Indicators (PSI) in quality reporting. CDI professionals can significantly enhance reporting accuracy by meticulously reviewing PSIs and validating the admit type, thereby ensuring that only relevant cases are included. Accurate quality scores not only improve the integrity of reported data, but also support better patient outcomes and resource allocation. This session aims to equip healthcare professionals with the knowledge and tools needed to leverage admit type, as well as CDI practices to drive quality improvements and ensure accurate quality reporting.

Program Advancement & Innovation
Scaling Prebill Review and ROI at a Large Academic Medical Center
Mike Gao, MD, and Angela Comfort, DBA, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CCS-P

Montefiore, a large academic medical center in the Bronx, New York City, focuses on providing care for underserved patient populations, and it needed to maximize return on investment and capital efficiency without significantly expanding staffing. As such, it has been a leader in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) across several domains, including patient support, predictive diagnostics, and imaging. In 2022, Montefiore empowered its CDI specialists by deploying AI algorithms at the prebill stage to help them do more with less, capturing documentation opportunities that have added significant revenue and boosted quality metrics.

Pediatrics & CDI Expansion
Unique PICU Conditions: Opportunity for Diagnosis Capture
Amy Sanderson, MD

Many conditions in the pediatric ICU have several associated diagnoses, and this session will explore the clinical aspects of challenging pediatric diagnoses as well as offer recommendations for query opportunities from a pediatric critical care physician. Topics include congenital diaphragmatic hernia, hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome, diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperosmotic hyperglycemic nonketotic state, hydrocephalus, scoliosis, craniopharyngioma, and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.

2:45 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Networking Break and Exhibit Hall Finale

3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Breakout Sessions

Clinical & Coding
Acute Skin Failure: Our Largest Organ Fails Too!
Keisha Downes, MBA-HM, BSN, RN, CCDS, CCS, and Okemena Ewoterai, RN, BSN, MA, CCS, CDIP, CCDS

This session will provide a review of skin disorders that impact patients during an inpatient stay, including pressure injuries, general wounds, and skin failure. Learn how to differentiate skin disorders as well as identify the etiology of skin failure. Plus, gain a stronger understanding of relevant documentation and coding considerations.

Professional Development & Collaboration
Improving Engagement by Changing Team Culture
Katie Parsley, MSN, RN, CCDS, CPHQ

Discover one team’s journey to find success, caregiver satisfaction, and improved team engagement. The speaker will discuss what team culture is and how psychological safety impacts success and engagement. Plus, she will identify the strategies that her team utilizes to improve and maintain team engagement as well as a positive team culture.

Quality & Denials
How to Partner With UR to Decrease Denials Up Front and Write Appeals When Needed
Melissa Buchner-Mehling, MD, CPHYADV, FABQAURP, and Chia-Shing Yang, MD, FACP, FHM

Stabilizing the revenue cycle and decreasing revenue loss through denials is a challenge for any hospital. Understanding how insurers audit charts and how the documentation in the chart can be improved to decrease these denials is critical to maintaining compliance while optimizing revenue. In this session, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of medical necessity denials, DRG revisions, and improvement of documentation to prevent both. This will include tips on collaborating with utilization review (UR) to improve documentation for medical necessity, how to write DRG dispute letters and medical necessity appeal letters, and how to use denial data to decrease future audits.

Program Advancement & Innovation
Harnessing Data-Driven Insights to Streamline Workflow and Mitigate Documentation Leakage
Tamara Adolph, MHA, RN, CCDS; Christopher Riccard, MD; and Fran Jurcak, MSN, RN, CCDS, CCDS-O

Even well-established, long-standing CDI programs have some level of documentation leakage. To minimize the leakage and maximize documentation accuracy and program outcomes, CDI leaders are utilizing data to make changes in workflow and minimize documentation issues that result in missed revenue or quality reporting. Advent Health CDI leaders share how they implemented new technology and workflows that provided insight into their data, allowing them to better identify opportunities to close gaps and minimize documentation leakage. This session will highlight the data and metrics that the team utilized to make decisions regarding staffing, workflow, and productivity, and it will cover the outcomes data that identified whether they were able to stem the leakage.

Pediatrics & CDI Expansion
CDI at the VA: One Size Does Not Fit All
Heather Pautz, MHL, BSN, RN, CCRN-K, CCDS, CDIP, and Mary Rupnow Charter, BS, ADN, RN

Veterans Affairs (VA) is the nation’s largest healthcare system, yet no two VA CDI programs are alike. Join this session to learn the differences between private sector CDI and VA CDI. Plus, the speakers will explore the physician education and engagement paradigm, query process, expansion of the CDI role, and complexity of tracking metrics to assess the cumulative impact of the multi-faceted endeavors undertaken at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee.

Wednesday, May 7, 2025

7:00 a.m. – 7:45 a.m.
Breakfast

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Keynote Session: Accomplish Anything: Forge Your Unstoppable Path
Tom Turcich

Tom Turcich isn't just a world traveler—he's a testament to the power of unwavering determination. Faced with unpredictable terrain, diverse cultures, and countless adversities, Tom's seven-year, 28,000-mile walk around the world is an odyssey that transcended the physical and delved deep into the realms of self-reflection. Whether it’s braving months in the desert or navigating Wyoming's extreme winter, Tom's stories prove one thing: Resilience isn't inherited; it's built. Tom will show how embracing the journey, not the destination, creates a growth mindset that turns motivation into discipline—the key to unstoppable progress.

Too often, we lack direction. We feel unmotivated, and our grand plans wither under the weight of everyday challenges. Tom's story reveals that the answer lies in building a powerful internal compass based on your core values—the “why” that ignites your drive and sparks innovation. Imagine waking up each day energized by your purpose. Imagine seeing setbacks not as failures but as catalysts for creative problem solving. This isn't a dream—it's your future

9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Breakout Sessions

Clinical & Coding
What You Aorta Know About Cardiac Surgery: Understanding Open Interventions, Cardiopulmonary Bypass, and Implications for the CDI Review Process
Alicia Pinsonneault, BSN-RN, CCDS, CRCR

This session will discuss the various types of open interventions, including coronary artery bypass grafts, valve repairs/replacements, thoracic aorta aneurysm interventions, and implantable left ventricular assist devices. The speaker will review common principal diagnoses and procedures as well as corresponding surgical DRG assignment and explore the pathophysiological changes and effects of cardiopulmonary bypass use and what this can mean following surgery. An analysis of common secondary diagnoses following open cardiac surgery, potential query opportunities, and case study investigations will allow attendees to better understand how cardiac surgery and the effects of cardiopulmonary bypass use impact the CDI review process.

Professional Development & Collaboration
No Code Left Behind: Why Reconciliation Between the CDI and HIM Code Set Must Be More Than DRG Mismatches
Donna Wheeler, RN, CCDS, and Stacey Haines, CCS

Join this session to hear Johns Hopkins Hospital’s journey to ensure “no code is left behind.” The speakers will describe how they secured buy-in for an initial CDI-led reconciliation, as well as how their CDI and HIM teams collaborated to create workflows, internal guidelines, and education to support each other. They will share strategies for tracking and trending the outcomes of this process. Finally, they’ll discuss how the CDI and HIM departments were able to put aside differences in thinking and create a robust hold process to more accurately reflect patient complexity, quality of care, reimbursement, and reputational rankings.

Quality & Denials
Hidden Gems: Do Not Sleep on These Risk Variables
Amy Kratochvil, RHIT, CCDS, CDIP, and Mercy C. Gonzalez MSN, RN, CCDS

Gone are the days when the CDI specialist’s job stopped once the DRG was validated and an MCC documented; now they must dig deeper to show the true severity of illness and risk of mortality for their patients. This requires additional education and queries to the clinical teams, but also education related to risk adjustment for the CDI and coding teams. Join the speakers to hear about some of the less frequently discussed conditions that may impact risk adjustment, such as reduced mobility, cachexia, and metastatic cancer, as well as tips to take back to your team so you do not miss out on reporting these diagnoses.

Program Advancement & Innovation
Diagnosis Definitions: An Organizational Challenge
Sharra Way, RN, CCDS, and Nancy Aming, RN, BSN, MSHA, BC, CCDS, SLR

Creating organizationwide criteria and diagnosis definitions is a challenge when the literature does not establish a consensus and contains ambiguous or conflicting information. However, having facility definitions assists with formulating queries and fighting postpayment DRG downgrades. This session will detail one organization’s process for creating facilitywide diagnosis definitions and provide guidance for operationalizing definitions at your own organization.

Pediatrics & CDI Expansion
Applying Social Determinants of Health in a Pediatric Health System, Inpatient and Outpatient
Valerie Bica, BSN, RN, and Viji Anchan, MSN, RN, CPN, CRC, CCDS-O

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are designed for the adult Medicare age group. Therefore, when thinking about them in pediatrics, the domains must shift to focus on the family and not just the patient. The world of value-adjusted care and risk stratification has challenged organizations to collect and document these concerns in a way that meets value-based contract requirements. Learn how the team at Nemours Children’s Health System collaborated with their peers in social work, psychology, general pediatrics, and pediatric specialty care to identify the SDOH domains that need to be documented for pediatric patients. You’ll also learn how they addressed associated challenges in both the inpatient and outpatient settings.

10:15 a.m. – 10:35 a.m.
Refreshment Break

10:35 a.m. – 11:35 a.m.
Breakout Sessions

Clinical & Coding
Illuminating Social Determinants of Health: A Call for Better Outcomes
Alma Yap, BSN, RN, CCDS, CDIP, CCS, and Thea Campbell, MBA, RHIA

Enhanced data collection, reporting, and analysis of social determinants of health (SDOH) provides valuable insights into the relationship between social needs or factors and health outcomes. Furthermore, SDOH data inform policy decisions, guide public health programs and funding allocations, and support initiatives to promote health equity. In this session, learn how the expanded use of Z codes for SDOH can drive significant improvements in public health by fostering a more integrated approach to healthcare that addresses both clinical and social needs.

Professional Development & Collaboration
Increased Staff Engagement in a Hybrid World Through Shared Learning
Jacob Neubauer, MN, RN-CNL, CCDS, and Nicole Tebo, RN, BSN, CCDS

Retaining CDI staff is very difficult in this economic environment, especially when team members work remotely, and engagement has become increasingly important as a result. To continue driving employee engagement, leaders must become more creative in their teaching and approaches to individual staff members’ needs. This session will offer attendees unique ways to achieve consistent engagement from their staff and explore how this can improve key metrics.

Quality & Denials
Why Bother? DRG Denials: Collaboration Is Key
Elaine Koetje, BS, BSN, RN, CCDS, CRCR, CHC; Brooke Twomley, BSN, RN, CCDS, CRCR; and Britta Wofford, RN, BSN, CCDS, CRCR

Denials can be so irritating... so why bother? The speakers discuss how DRG denials prompted their system to increase interdepartmental collaboration and education and create standardized clinical guidelines. Ultimately, this also led to negotiations, effecting positive change to payer contracts. Join this session to hear how you, too, might be a little less bothered by DRG denials!

Program Advancement & Innovation
Implementing and Sustaining CDI Education: The BJC Experience
Karen Elmore, BSN, RN, CCDS

This session will explore how BJC HealthCare successfully implemented a CDI education program and implemented strategies to sustain and enhance this education. Attendees will learn about challenges faced, solutions developed, and the continuous improvement processes that ensure high standards of clinical documentation across the organization. Plus, gain insight into how BJC HealthCare promotes interdisciplinary collaboration in its education efforts and evaluates the effectiveness of the CDI education program.

Pediatrics & CDI Expansion
The Outpatient CDI Implementation Maze: Navigating Through the Complexities and Challenges at a VA Medical Center
Kathleen Romero, MSN, RN, CCDS-O, EBP-C, and Blanca Arguello, MSN, RN

Learn how one Veterans Affairs medical center successfully implemented an outpatient CDI program. The speakers will discuss how to recognize documentation integrity opportunities as well as the importance of identifying strategic allies to support the creation of the program. Plus, they’ll explain how they collected, analyzed, and interpreted data to demonstrate the program’s impact on the facility.

— Agenda subject to change —

2025 ACDIS Conference

Location

Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center
6000 West Osceola Parkway
Kissimmee, FL 34746

• Room rate: $234.00 + $38.00 resort fee*/night
• Hotel cut-off date: Thursday, April 10, 2025
• Hotel website: https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/mcogp-gaylord-palms-resort-and-convention-center/overview/
• Hotel reservations: Online at https://book.passkey.com/go/ACDIS2025 or call 407-586-2000 and reference the ACDIS Conference

* The prevailing daily resort fee, will cover several in-room amenities which include:

• Resort Wide Internet Access:
  • Enhanced in-room wireless Internet Access for up to six (6) devices
  • Basic Wireless Internet Access in Public Areas and Convention Center on a Shared Network.
• Two (2) bottled waters replenished daily in your guest room
• Scheduled shuttle service to Walt Disney World® Theme Parks & Disney Springs®
• Two (2) pieces of Dry-Cleaning daily
• Admittance for two (2) people to Yoga Classes – Offered twice a day, seven (7) days a week
• Complimentary 24-hour access to fitness center

HCPro/ACDIS has no affiliation with any third-party companies or travel assistance providers. Rooms should be booked directly with the event hotel using the official information provided on the website and in the brochure. 

Pricing

• Retail Price: $1,099.00
• Early Bird Price: $999.00 — Early Bird deadline: March 3, 2025
• Membership Price:  $999.00 — ACDIS members save $100! Call Customer Service at 800-650-6787 for your discount.
• Membership Early Bird: $899.00 — Early Bird deadline: March 3, 2025
• Interested in attending with a group? Register 5 attendees for the price of 4! Call Customer Service at 800-650-6787 ext. 4111 or email HCEvents@hcpro.com

Additional Savings & Fun

To purchase specially priced Walt Disney World® Meeting/Convention Theme Park tickets, CLICK HERE or call 407-566-5600 and provide group code G0847476.

Tickets are valid 7 days before, during, and 7 days after the meeting dates. To enter a park, both a park reservation and valid ticket on the same day are required. To make park reservations, you will need to sign-in to an existing Disney® Account or create a new one and link each ticket. Park reservations are subject to availability – please check the Park Availability Calendar. For details on making a park reservation, please visit Disney Park Pass Experience Updates.

Whether it’s your first visit or your 100th, we recommend reviewing the Walt Disney World® Resort Experience Updates.

ACDIS Symposium: Outpatient CDI

Saturday, May 3 – Sunday, May 4, 2025 | Kissimmee, FL

Discover your CDI program’s potential at the ACDIS Symposium: Outpatient CDI, a two-day event dedicated exclusively to clinical documentation integrity (CDI) efforts in the outpatient and ambulatory settings.

The ACDIS Symposium: Outpatient CDI offers comprehensive sessions for both managers/leaders and clinical chart reviewers, including how to get started in the ambulatory setting, crafting compliant queries, collecting and analyzing metrics, and demonstrating return on investment. With two tracks on Day 2, there are options for attendees of all experience levels. Plus, take advantage of the many networking opportunities to connect with and learn from your peers!

Learn more HERE and save 15% on the ACDIS Symposium: Outpatient CDI when coupled with the main conference.

ACDIS Physician Advisor Forum

Saturday, May 3 – Sunday, May 4, 2025 | Kissimmee, FL

The ACDIS Physician Advisor Forum offers two days of exceptional education delivered by the nation's leading physician advisors.

With two tracks on Day 1, this conference is perfect for both new and veteran physician advisors. In the morning of Day 1, learn the physician advisor's key responsibilities (or brush up on the basics!) with our Physician Advisor Foundations sessions in Track 1, or explore more advanced topics in Track 2. In the afternoon, continue to choose the sessions that interest you most! The two tracks come together on Day 2 for a unified experience.

Learn more HERE and save 15% on the ACDIS Physician Advisor Forum when coupled with the main conference.

2025 ACDIS Conference

Continuing Education

2025 ACDIS Conference

ACCME
HCPro is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

HCPro designates this educational activity for a maximum of 13 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.

Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

ACDIS
This program has been approved for 13 continuing education units towards fulfilling the requirements of the Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist certification, offered as a service of the Association of Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialists (ACDIS).

AHIMA
This program has been approved for 13 continuing education unit(s) (CEUs) for use in fulfilling the continuing education requirements of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). Granting of Approved CEUs from AHIMA does not constitute endorsement of the program content or its program provider.

NAHRI
This program has been approved for 13 continuing education units towards fulfilling the requirements of the Certification in Healthcare Revenue Integrity (CHRI), offered as a service of the National Association of Healthcare Revenue Integrity (NAHRI).

Continue to check for updates and additional CEU information!

ACDIS Physician Advisor Forum

ACCME
HCPro is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

HCPro designates this educational activity for a maximum of 11 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.

Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

ACDIS
This program has been approved for 11 continuing education units towards fulfilling the requirements of the Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist certification, offered as a service of the Association of Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialists (ACDIS). 

AHIMA
This program has been approved for 11 continuing education unit(s) (CEUs) for use in fulfilling the continuing education requirements of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). Granting of Approved CEUs from AHIMA does not constitute endorsement of the program content or its program provider.

NAHRI
This program has been approved for 11 continuing education units towards fulfilling the requirements of the Certification in Healthcare Revenue Integrity (CHRI), offered as a service of the National Association of Healthcare Revenue Integrity (NAHRI).

Continue to check for updates and additional CEU information!

ACDIS Symposium: Outpatient CDI

ACCME
HCPro is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

HCPro designates this educational activity for a maximum of 11 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.

Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

ACDIS
This program has been approved for 11 continuing education units towards fulfilling the requirements of the Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist certification, offered as a service of the Association of Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialists (ACDIS). 

AHIMA
This program has been approved for 11 continuing education unit(s) (CEUs) for use in fulfilling the continuing education requirements of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). Granting of Approved CEUs from AHIMA does not constitute endorsement of the program content or its program provider.

NAHRI
This program has been approved for 11 continuing education units towards fulfilling the requirements of the Certification in Healthcare Revenue Integrity (CHRI), offered as a service of the National Association of Healthcare Revenue Integrity (NAHRI).

Continue to check for updates and additional CEU information!