Employee Spotlight: John Worthy, CDI Specialist
We’re so excited to introduce our employee spotlight for the month of September. Meet John Worthy! Dive into his Q&A to learn more about his career journey and life outside of work!
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How did you get started in the healthcare industry and how long have you been working as a CDI Specialist?
I was interested in medicine when I graduated high school. I attended U.C. Davis and majored in Biology, which was the closest thing to PreMed at the time. However, I was very immature in those days and interested in everything but higher education. I spent a total of three years at Davis but did not finish.
In 2002, my wife of only 2 years, Andrea, and I were in a major car accident in Michigan. She was severely injured with internal injuries, a crushed inferior mesenteric artery to be precise. She underwent multiple surgeries and was left with a large open abdominal wound. To get her home, I needed to learn how to perform sterile dressing changes, which the nurses taught me to do. This event re-ignited my passion for caring for others and my interest in the medical profession. I went back to school, obtained my Nursing degree and jumped into the ICU. A back injury is what led me away from bedside care and luckily for myself the health care system I was working for at the time was expanding their CDI department. I first became a CDI in 2013.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I love to learn. There are constant opportunities for growth in my profession. The understanding of my role has evolved greatly during my time as a CDI. I’ve been able to incorporate perspectives from clinical validation and medical necessity into my approach. I enjoy collaborating between departments and breaking down silos in organizations to achieve better outcomes.
Tell us about a proud moment in your career (or life!)
Family is very important to me. My wedding to my beautiful wife Andrea was a high point. Our journey towards growing our family was challenging. We adopted our son, Jackson when he was 5 months old. Then my wife was blessed to have a successful pregnancy with our daughter, Molly, 4 years later. I have the unique experience of bringing a child into my life in two different ways.
My most proud professional achievement was receiving the Daisy Award for compassionate nursing care in 2012.
What is one thing that you wish people knew about your job?
I wish people had a greater appreciation for the importance of health data. This is what I try to impress upon the providers I work with. Sometimes people feel that CDI is just an effort to improve reimbursement or protect against denials. However, as technology advances, the possibilities of uncovering patterns in the most complex data sets becomes a greater reality. This is dependent upon good data. The more precise the data can be the better. It’s important for everyone to speak the same language.
What advice would you give someone wanting to pursue a career in CDI?
There is a lot to learn. Be prepared for a year to not understand what you are doing. A lot of it is going to not make sense, especially the coding. Often the answer to a coding question of “why”, is because they said so (Coding Clinic). A person entering CDI from a nursing background is used to rationales to questions of “why”. I found it to be a struggle to accept this early in my career.
What are some of your favorite resources (books, guides, podcasts) to help you stay up to date in your profession?
I have been to many National ACDIS conferences, which provide lots of content on a variety of subjects. I tend to gravitate towards the education on Quality metrics. Particular speakers that I enjoy include Dr. Richard Pinson, Dr. James Kennedy, Dr. Erica Reamer and Cheryl Manchenton.
What do you like to do in your free time? What passions and/or hobbies do you enjoy?
Family time is always a good time. We really enjoy traveling and I have capitalized over the years on making the most of travel assignments. My kids have spent summers in many different areas of the country over the past decade while Dad was working on his assignment. My wife has the summers off, so it was a perfect set-up.
I love the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. I collected comic books as a kid. These days, I’m wasting way too much time on my phone playing a game called Marvel Snap.
What’s the next place on your travel bucket list?
My 25th Wedding Anniversary is approaching fast. After we were married, Andrea and I went to Europe for 3 weeks with our backpacks, a train pass and a skip in our step. We have both lost the skip, but we still have the desire for travel. We want to do something extra special for our anniversary. Since our anniversary is in the wintertime and I don’t like the cold weather, it’s time to explore the Southern Hemisphere of Planet Earth. We’re considering going to Argentina and maybe even taking a cruise to Antarctica, but no firm plans yet.
What are you currently reading, watching, or listening to?
Probably like most people I enjoy streaming entertainment. I recently signed up for Paramount Plus and discovered that Survivor was on there. I had seen the first couple seasons when it came out. I started watching where I left off and can’t seem to stop watching. It is great not having commercials, nor waiting a week to find out what happens next.
What’s something about you that not many people know?
In 1994, I went to 17 Pink Floyd concerts. It included the following cities: San Diego, CA, Oakland, CA x 3, Ames, IA, Denver, CO, Kansas City, MO, Minneapolis, MN, Madison, WI, Toronto, Canada x 3, Washington D.C. x 2, Pontiac, MI x 2.
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Don’t forget to check back each month to get to know our featured employee of the month! We love sharing the different stories and personalities behind OnPoint, and we hope you enjoy learning more about our team.