One of the more promising developments I’ve seen over my career watching the CDI profession bloom is the creation of the CDI educator role.

CDI is often labeled by its critics as reactive, sending queries to the provider after he or she has already documented in the chart. This is an integral but limited part of CDI work.

The main work is getting physicians to document correctly in the first place.

It’s the kind of work being done by Kalee Vincent, my guest on today’s program. Kalee is the CDI Educator for WVU Medicine, West Virginia’s largest health system and largest private employer comprised of 23 hospitals.

Kalee joins me to discuss her path into healthcare, her important work and impact as an educator, and some proven strategies for teaching documentation lessons that stick with providers.

Listen in as we discuss:

• Shifting from CDI chart reviewer to educator in January 2023—challenges and rewards, advice for those considering a similar move
• CDI as an RHIA: Addressing misconceptions about clinical knowledge as a non-nurse (Kalee dissected a cat in college—for real—as part of her studies)
• Keys to being a good physician educator: What works in a 1:1 setting vs. a medical staff meeting, how to get time with busy docs
• Lots of interesting examples where gaps exist and education is needed—CKD, sepsis 2.5, ASPEN, shock, heart failure and more (Kalee came PREPARED)
• New WVU malnutrition coalition: Why this initiative began, what the work includes, and her role on the coalition
• Hamming it up with ex-ACDIS directors, what downtime in the Vincent household looks like, and her Off the Record Spotify playlist selection (Taylor Swift has cracked the lineup—you knew it had to happen sooner or later)