An inspiring story about rebranding a facility’s CDI department
To raise a torch to the strength of women working in healthcare I must share an introductory story on the transformation of a revitalized CDI Department that has pursued success through the strength of 23 women, and the celebrations are taking place daily. Not to undermine the contributions of our male co-workers, this story is one of empowering women that may inspire you to reach deep into your creative minds.
Many of us would describe an empowered woman in our industry as one who pre-orders the latest and greatest industry leading resource to ensure we have adopted the model of proven department success. Oddly, much of KHN’s transition to the winning CDI team has occurred because we have “lost our map.” May I please encourage you to contemplate a few not-so-new theories, but unknown territories for many of us type AHIMers.
For starters, allow yourself to daydream. Gift yourself with a ride in your car and enjoy the silence. No audio books, no traffic reports, no repeat hits from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. Allow your creative mind to ask itself, “What if we tried this….?” “What if we kept doing that but tried it this way…?” As we started this exercise I often heard, “Oh, we have tried that, it didn’t work.” My answer, with a glowing mischievous smile, is…. “Well, let’s try it this way!” Stand firm on faith that ideas generated during a silent journey are fueled by YOUR inner creativity, YOUR inspiration reflected onto a mirror of now scripted thoughts that simply need action steps.
Next, take a self-analysis. Determine how YOU best fit into the big picture of this newly inspired screenplay. There are many personal assessment tools available. Our network utilized the DISC Workplace profile assessment. Stretch your arms out as far as they reach to the left and right, stand up as tall as your frame allows, and OWN the results. The next step can be rough, ladies, but it’s Required with a capital R. You must break free from fear.
Many inspirations delicately laid on the brains and hearts of women go untapped, laid to rest in a beautiful field of our favorite spring flowers. Because we are loving souls, we don’t want our ideas laid to rest in anything less than perfume-scented, soft fields of comfort, sprinkled with evolving colors of the seasons. But there our ideas lay motionless, and often forgotten. There is no more time to waste—throw the fear out the back window with the closest pitchfork you can locate, and prepare yourself for the final step. Now you are ready to introduce your screenplay, and TAKE THE LEAD! Put your creative idea, absent of fear, into motion. Project it with yourself placed exactly how you best fit with your strength, whether it’s simply the author in need of actors, the director, or producer, but it’s on paper, in motion, joined by your team of peers that support you.
I am honored to be mentored by empowered women. I have learned there is no checklist on how to arrive, but I am enjoying defining my own path surrounded with a great amount of talent and desire to succeed. Let’s celebrate women in healthcare!
Program Note
Listen to Kathy Murchland this morning on Talk Ten Tuesdays, 10-10:30 a.m. EST.
Healthcare has been transitioning toward a more digital, interconnected ecosystem for many years, but the pace and magnitude of current changes represent a fundamental shift.
H.R. 1 doesn’t directly rewrite ICD-10 or CPT, but it does change the environment in which you’re coding. The impact is mostly indirect – through
Please log in to your account to comment on this article.
Accurately determining the principal diagnosis is critical for compliant billing, appropriate reimbursement, and valid quality reporting — yet it remains one of the most subjective and error-prone areas in inpatient coding. In this expert-led session, Cheryl Ericson, RN, MS, CCDS, CDIP, demystifies the complexities of principal diagnosis assignment, bridging the gap between coding rules and clinical reality. Learn how to strengthen your organization’s coding accuracy, reduce denials, and ensure your documentation supports true medical necessity.
Denials continue to delay reimbursement, increase administrative burden, and threaten financial stability across healthcare organizations. This essential webcast tackles the root causes—rising payer scrutiny, fragmented workflows, inconsistent documentation, and underused analytics—and offers proven, data-driven strategies to prevent and overturn denials. Attendees will gain practical tools to strengthen documentation and coding accuracy, engage clinicians effectively, and leverage predictive analytics and AI to identify risks before they impact revenue. Through real-world case examples and actionable guidance, this session empowers coding, CDI, and revenue cycle professionals to shift from reactive appeals to proactive denial prevention and revenue protection.
Sepsis remains one of the most frequently denied and contested diagnoses, creating costly revenue loss and compliance risks. In this webcast, Angela Comfort, DBA, MBA, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CCS-P, provides practical, real-world strategies to align documentation with coding guidelines, reconcile Sepsis-2 and Sepsis-3 definitions, and apply compliant queries. You’ll learn how to identify and address documentation gaps, strengthen provider engagement, and defend diagnoses against payer scrutiny—equipping you to protect reimbursement, improve SOI/ROM capture, and reduce audit vulnerability in this high-risk area.
Only ICD10monitor delivers what you need: updates on must-know changes associated with the FY26 IPPS, including new ICD-10-CM/PCS codes, CCs/MCCs, and MS-DRGs, plus insights, analysis and answers to your questions from two of the country’s most respected subject matter experts.
As AI reshapes healthcare compliance, the risk of biased outputs and opaque decision-making grows. This webcast, led by Frank Cohen, delivers a practical Four-Pillar Governance Framework—Transparency, Accountability, Fairness, and Explainability—to help you govern AI-driven claim auditing with confidence. Learn how to identify and mitigate bias, implement robust human oversight, and document defensible AI review processes that regulators and auditors will accept. Discover concrete remedies, from rotation protocols to uncertainty scoring, and actionable steps to evaluate vendors before contracts are signed. In a regulatory landscape that moves faster than ever, gain the tools to stay compliant, defend your processes, and reduce liability while maintaining operational effectiveness.
Get clear, practical answers to Medicare’s most confusing regulations. Join Dr. Ronald Hirsch as he breaks down real-world compliance challenges and shares guidance your team can apply right away.
Federal auditors are zeroing in on Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) and hospital rehab unit services, with OIG and CERT audits leading to millions in penalties—often due to documentation and administrative errors, not quality of care. Join compliance expert Michael Calahan, PA, MBA, to learn the five clinical “pillars” of IRF-PPS admissions, key documentation requirements, and real-life case lessons to help protect your revenue.
During this essential RACmonitor webcast Michael Calahan, PA, MBA Certified Compliance Officer, will clarify the rules, dispel common misconceptions, and equip you with practical strategies to code, document, and bill high-risk split/shared, incident-to & critical care E/M services with confidence. Don’t let audit risks or revenue losses catch your organization off guard — learn exactly what federal auditors are looking for and how to ensure your documentation and reporting stand up to scrutiny.
Prepare for the 2025 CMS IPPS Final Rule with ICD10monitor’s IPPSPalooza! Click HERE to learn more
Get 15% OFF on all educational webcasts at ICD10monitor with code JULYFOURTH24 until July 4, 2024—start learning today!
CYBER WEEK IS HERE! Don’t miss your chance to get 20% off now until Dec. 1 with code CYBER25
CYBER WEEK IS HERE! Don’t miss your chance to get 20% off now until Dec. 2 with code CYBER24
