Article written by Melissa Varnavas Originally posted HERE

If you asked, I’d say I’m typically a modest person. I’m not exactly one to crow about my accomplishments (much). Although I’m sure my mother and my husband would argue otherwise. (I’m also not the person who’ll first admit her shortcomings but who does, really?) Today, however, I make an exception to that first rule (and not so much to the second) and am taking a moment to crow about the newest edition of the CDI Journal.

We’ve been talking about it for months now, promising the bigger and better edition, touting how its new bi-monthly format will provide ACDIS members with more in-depth information about the wide-range of topics affecting the industry and more specifically the discipline of CDI. We also promised to unveil a new platform for viewing the Journal.

Well, all our promising became reality this month with the January edition. Login to the ACDIS website and visit CDI Journal. Click on the top link “Download the January edition of the Journal”

At the top of the screen you’ll see a gray box with an image of the Journal with a button in the center that says “read.” Click on this to read through the Journal in our new online magazine-style format. You can virtually flip through the pages, click on the pages for a closer view or hit Esc to view the smaller version.

Of course, you can still download the traditional .pdf of the entire Journal or download the articles in .pdf format individually if you wish.

The new format includes “features” or articles on CDI news and trends, “departments” or those elements of the newsletter you’ve come to look forward to and cherish such as the “physician advisor’s corner,” “meet-a-member” or “ask ACDIS” segments as well as some new ones such as “in the news” and “note from the ACDIS Advisory Board,” among others. We also continue to encourage the opinions and insights of experts in the field and will highlight these submissions in the Journal’s “opinions & insights.”

Let us know what you think!

Here’s a look at some of what’s inside this month’s edition:

FEATURES
Productivity problems: p. 10
Determining appropriate staffing ratios can be an ongoing process.

CDI collaboration: p. 18
Concurrent query efforts shouldn’t cloud a CDI program’s focus.

Continuing education: p. 20
New York University Langone Medical Center’s CDI-focused certificate program.

Physician queries: p. 22
Don’t fall victim to these common query misconceptions; review a few samples to see how your queries fare.

DEPARTMENTS
Associate director’s note: p. 4
At the turn of the New Year, return to basics and take another look at program opportunities.

Note from the advisory board: p. 5
Mark LeBlanc discusses the importance of getting CDI basics right from the start.

Physician advisor’s corner: p. 9
Sam Antonios, MD, provides quick tips to engage physicians.

In the news: p. 14
Despite rumors, the ICD-10-CM/PCS 2015 implementation date remains in place for now.

Ask ACDIS: p. 15
Wondering if ICD-10-CM/PCS implementation will affect CDI program productivity levels?

Outpatient efforts: p. 16
Lori-Lynne Webb discusses easy wellness exam documentation tips for physician practices.

Ask ACDIS: p. 21
Need some simple steps to win over difficult physicians? Laurie Prescott provides assistance.

Meet a member: p. 32
Angelisa Romanello talks about her transition to CDI and the changes/challenges she’s seen in the profession.

Coding Clinic CDI update: p. 33
The focus of Coding Clinic for ICD-10-CM/PCS remains on procedures, but additional insight provided for use of laboratory and radiological test result use.

OPINIONS & INSIGHTS
Recasting the CDI financial discussion: p. 27
Dee Banet discusses how new quality-focused reimbursement measures can help CDI managers
leverage program expansion.

Clinical quality: p. 28
Glenn Krauss and Jeffrey Epstein, MD, explain how CDI focus on overall medical record quality can
improve program outcomes. Read a related congestive heart failure case study and review a sample verbal educational exchange to adapt to your own efforts.

Fond farewell: p. 34
Outgoing ACDIS advisory board members provide their thoughts on industry growth and forthcoming challenges.