Erin Kreider gives me hope for the future of the CDI profession. That’s a pretty positive first impression for someone I recently met. Why do I say this?

Erin is a newly-minted clinician who returned to medical school after nursing and CDI to become a nurse practitioner (NP), and now sees patients once a week. Her “welcome mat” on LinkedIn lists her core passions, which include clinical honesty and ethical integrity in the final code set, advocating for patients’ rights and best interests, and education and thought leadership.

Today the majority of her work is with a technology company, Ambience, where she is helping build out ambient listening technology that assists with documentation and coding.

Prior to that she had lengthy stop at Kettering where she was a CDI professional and a case manager.

How’s that for achievement—and purpose?

We get into all this on this episode of Off the Record, covering:

• Erin's first day on the job as an NP and what becoming a clinician taught her about documentation/coding/the mid-revenue cycle that she didn’t know or fully appreciate prior.
• CDI in the ED: Missed opportunity to improve documentation for admitted patients and strengthen Medical Decision Making (MDM)
• Best practices for leveraging APPs: Support system for MD physician advisors, second level chart reviews, educators, and more—a topic she recently wrote about for ACDIS’ CDI Journal
• UR/UM synergies with CDI and coding
• CDI pet peeves: Queries for the sake of metrics, and perception of CDI as an easy retirement job for fatigued bedside nurses
• How ambient listening can help with documentation, provider burnout, and surface additional missed diagnoses/HCCs

Many healthcare organizations know they need an outpatient CDI program, but are tripped up by the most fundamental question: What is the expected return on investment after a considerable upfront investment of time, human capital, training, and technology?

Discover the tangible impact of outpatient CDI on revenue, risk capture, provider alignment, and compliance in this special session of Off the Record. Jason Jobes, Senior Vice President, Solutions, Norwood, and Carol Ann Hudson, AVP of Quality and Clinical Operations and Population Health for Lifepoint Health first presented this popular session at the ACDIS 2026 national conference and later for a select virtual audience, and I’m pleased to bring it to my listeners.

You’ll walk away with a big picture understanding of OP CDI and concrete, operational strategies for transforming your program. If you haven’t started yet, consider this your blueprint.

Note that “ROI” doesn’t only equate to revenue. Return on investment can also come in the form of denials resistant documentation, coding compliance, and improved patient care and value based care alignment through a greater emphasis on patient scheduling. All of which Lifepoint Health experienced.

• Note: Jason and Carol Ann refer to slides at points of this session; the audio can stand alone but if you prefer you can also download them on the Norwood website (free with registration): https://www.norwood.com/resource/the-roi-of-outpatient-cdi-slide-deck/

If you’ve been in the CDI space for any length of time you probably know the name Fran Jurcak.

After a memorable stint as an ER/trauma nurse, CDI and then consulting, Fran made an impact in ACDIS, serving on the CCDS certification committee and later the ACDIS advisory board. She authored and continues to author the CCDS Exam Study Guide.

But what makes Fran unique is that she’s never afraid to share her opinion—or make a big career move.

Fran made the successful leap from traditional consulting into technology. And in the same manner that marked the rest of her career climbed the ladder all the way up to her current role as Chief Clinical Strategist at Iodine.

So yeah, you might very well know Fran. But, what you might NOT know is she is winding down her career—she plans to retire from the industry in October.

This episode is a fantastic, wide-ranging conversation recapping her full career. Fran brings a seasoned perspective on technology and CDI few can match, so it seems only natural to debut this episode in conjunction with CDI Week. Listen in as we talk about:

• Career progression from bedside to CDI to consulting to tech. How did she make the jump—and then advance?
• What does a fully AI tech enabled CDI position look like?
• How does the modern CDI professional work in this setting? How much of their clinical knowledge do humans still apply vs. reviewing machine output?
• How much of a job displacer is advanced AI, but what can’t machines do, and who will survive the new reality? What mindset and skills do they need to have?
• The most important lesson Fran learned in her career.
• Her stint at CDI consulting OG JA Thomas: Their place in the industry, what she learned from them, pro and con.
• Her greatest career accomplishment, and where CDI needs to change
• Winding down and retirement plans (grandkids and cruising on the docket)