2022 in review, 2023 look ahead—and a whole lot in between

off the record

For our final episode of 2022 we’re going off the record (even for Off the Record) with a couple interesting guests you may recognize from Brian’s home base at Norwood. This week we’re joined by CEO and Founder Justin Satterfield, and VP of Consulting Jason Jobes. As you might expect at the holidays the conversation…

Read More

Little-known profession, big organizational impact: Ren Garcia on the ins-and-outs of a career in cancer registry

off the record

What the heck is a cancer registry professional? How can they impact quality (and even revenue, indirectly) in your hospital? And why do Harley Davidson and Indian owners despise each other (and is it possible to like both brands)? If you’re at all curious about these incongruous questions, the latest episode of Off the Record…

Read More

A football mindset, delivered with a nurses’ caring: Meet Robin Jones, Executive Director of Clinical Excellence, AdventHealth

off the record

What prompts a nurse working at the bedside to get into clinical documentation integrity (CDI)? Long, draining shifts, and burnout, are among a few that I’ve heard. Others include a desire to put their clinical acumen and physician communication skills to work in a different, less physically demanding capacity, but one that still engages the…

Read More

Meet the Director of CDI and Utilization Management at Essentia Health, Tracy Boldt

director of cdi

“I like unique. Tell me something I don’t know.” That certainly describes this week’s guest. Tracy Boldt is the Director of CDI and Utilization Management at Essentia Health in Minnesota. Since September 2016 Boldt’s role has included providing leadership, direction and support in the development and management of CDI and UM at multiple Essentia Health…

Read More

From meeting planner to medical coder … meet UC Davis’ star director of CDI and coding, Tami McMasters Gomez

cdi and coding

Tami McMasters-Gomez, BS, CCS-P, CDIP, CCDS, (MHL), is the Director of CDI and Coding Operations at UC-Davis Health in California. She has ultimate oversight of 80 employees, a team that is busy querying, coding, and abstracting data for a huge organization that includes its flagship 646-bed multispecialty academic medical center. Tami is a bright light…

Read More

“To be a good leader you have to get your hands dirty” : Meet Angie Comfort, LifePoint Health

To say LifePoint Health is a large healthcare system is like saying Nashville has a few good country music bands. Per its website, LifePoint’s healthcare delivery network spans 29 states and includes 62 community hospital campuses, 33 rehabilitation and behavioral health hospitals, and more than 170 additional sites of care across the healthcare continuum including…

Read More

CDI, denials, UM, and case management, under one roof? No problem. Meet Susan Fantin

Susan Fantin, MSA, BSN, RN, CCDS, CDIP, is the Vice President of Integrated Care Management for McLaren Health in Grand Blanc, Michigan. A one sentence description that is a woefully inadequate descriptor of what she does. All of CDI, case management, utilization management, and denials run through Susan’s capable hands. Think, massive responsibilities. A staff of…

Read More