Podcast
A First Year for the Record Books: Catching up with Wellstar’s new Executive Director of CDI
Few CDI professionals are rising as fast as Faisal Hussain, Executive Director of CDI at Wellstar Health System in Georgia. Fewer still have come as far as he has, both literally and figuratively. A foreign medical graduate and native of Pakistan, Hussain has risen up through the ranks in a remarkable career in healthcare. In…
Read MoreLighting a CDI fire with Tom Brazelton, CDI medical director UW Health
News flash: Many (most?) physicians aren’t on board with CDI initiatives and coding practice. It’s understandable; they’re busy with patient care, and in their remaining hours are swamped with chart completion. Answering clinical queries and documenting with greater specificity is either seen as a chore or falls by the wayside entirely. Sometimes it takes real-world…
Read MoreAntarctic Anecdotes: The real-life adventure of ex-CDI physician advisor Howard Rodenberg
There comes a point in our life when we all need to take an adventure. For most that means a vacation to an exotic faraway continent. For others, that might mean taking a new job, or changing careers altogether. Or starting a family. All of these are adventures of one sort or another. All are wonderful.…
Read MoreBack from ACDIS, talking value-based care and outpatient CDI with Jason Jobes
By Brian Murphy After a short break that was not really a break because we were on the road at ACDIS 2023 we’re back with another episode of Off the Record. I’m joined by fellow conference-goer, presenter, and colleague Jason Jobes, senior vice president of solutions at Norwood. On this show we dive into the…
Read MorePayer perspective: A conversation with Colleen Gianatasio
CDI and coding professionals typically recoil from the dreaded word, “payer.” After all, provider-payer relationships are often adversarial at best, hostile at worst. Clarify the diagnosis or procedure with the physician, apply the medical code … only to have the payer downcode or outright deny the claim. My guest on today’s podcast understands the frustration…
Read MoreCDI-ing like its 1999: A conversation with Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist director Tamara Hicks
How long have you been in CDI, oh listener? Three years, five, 10? Maybe as many as 16, if you started back when CMS adopted MS-DRGs and ACDIS began, in the hazy, pre-Tik-Tok days of 2007? My most recent guest on Off the Record has been in CDI for 24 years, starting in 1999.…
Read MoreLegal eagle: Healthcare denials through the eyes of Sarah Mendiola
Denials are a reality of life in the mid-revenue cycle. And they’re not going anywhere. As Medicare Advantage (MA) grows—MA Organizations statistically deny more care than traditional Medicare—the volume of denied claims will only keep growing. I wanted to talk about this subject with someone who not only understands the current mine-filled landscape, but knows…
Read MoreBanner Health’s Jami Woebkenberg: Managing the Constant Changes of Modern Healthcare Delivery
“The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.” – John C. Maxwell It’s been said that there is no constant in life except for change. Jami Woebkenberg is proof. Jami is the Senior Director of HIM operations at Banner Health. Or at least, that’s her title now.…
Read MoreWhat Would Nick Do? On Building Relationships and Rebuilding a Life, with Mike Behringer
When I started Off the Record, I wanted to launch a program that served the broader industry that serves the health record. That means, most of my guests work in the HIM/coding, CDI, case management, and trauma/oncology registry fields. But I also host folks who support the mid-revenue cycle—consulting, staffing, sales, legal, tech, and from…
Read MoreBoston strong: Climbing the U.S. News and World Report Best Hospitals rankings with CDI Director Deb Jones
Since taking on the CDI director role at Brigham at Women’s Hospital in October 2017, Deb Jones has made big changes with big impact. These include: A deep focus on risk adjustment and mortality reviews. Boston is an incredibly competitive healthcare environment with 25 hospitals operating within the city. Patients have a choice of…
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