About Clinical Documentation Improvement Australia

CDIA was born out of a group of Australian doctors and nurses who observed how the quality of clinical documentation was impacting patients from a safety, quality and communication perspective and hospitals from a funding perspective.

Disillusioned with the mantra to “write more”, we sought a better way.

Since 2016, we’ve partnered with many of Australia’s leading hospitals and have educated more than 7000 health professionals about clinical documentation improvement. We’d love to work with you, too.

Our Mission

Empowering clinicians to deliver safer care to every patient

  • Partnering with hospitals, creating a documentation culture that reflects the clinical truth
  • Ensuring hospital funding reflects patient complexity
  • Enhancing the integrity of Australian and New Zealand healthcare data

CDIA’s core offering, the Pursuit Program, delivers consistent results across all hospital sizes

Our tailored programs are ideal for both private and public hospitals, suitable for EMR, digital and paper records.

Discover more about the Pursuit Program

Our Story

2014

Our journey began when Dr David Tralaggan witnessed a serious adverse patient outcome influenced by poor clinical documentation. David embarked on a personal odyssey to discover strategies to improve Australia’s clinical documentation.

Concurrently, Nicole Draper was charged with improving clinical documentation in a large metropolitan private hospital.

2016

Nicole Draper successfully established one of the first clinical documentation improvement (CDI) programs in Australia.

Dr David Tralaggan incorporated Clinical Documentation Improvement Australia (CDIA).

2017

Dr David Tralaggan and Nicole Draper combined forces and entered a partnership due to their mutual passion for CDI.

Within the year, CDIA secured partnerships with hospitals across all of Australia’s east coast states.

2018

We continued to grow through partnerships with the second largest private hospital network in Australia and the largest private hospital network in Western Australia.

2019

We completed major CDI projects in every state in Australia.

We spoke at multiple international conferences, including the IFHIMA Congress in the UAE, the ACDIS Conference in the USA and the Saudi Patient Safety Centre Conference in Saudi Arabia.

The number of clinicians CDIA educated grew to more than 7000.

2020

We went international, partnering with the largest public hospital in New Zealand.

The CDIA team

Dr David Tralaggan

Founder

Passionate about progressing safe, effective patient care through CDI, Dr David Tralaggan is the pioneering medical doctor in the Australian CDI space. A dynamic and effective communicator, David deals skilfully with the myriad of questions from his medical peers regarding clinical documentation. David is an Associate Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Medical Administrators and continues to practice clinically in an Intensive Care Unit in NSW.

Nicole Draper

Co-founder

Nicole’s passion is to partner with hospitals, improving clinical documentation and empowering clinicians to deliver safer patient care. Nicole is widely regarded as Australia’s foremost Clinical Documentation Specialist. Co-founder of CDIA (Clinical Documentation Improvement Australia), she shares her wealth of knowledge with the industry to support patient safety through clinical documentation improvement. An expansive education in healthcare led to Nicole achieving a Bachelor of Nursing, a Masters Degree in Health Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Research. She is responsible for the implementation of the first CDI program in the private hospital industry which has received significant acclaim and awards.

Mike Kertes

CDIA’s National Director

With extensive experience as a Health Information Manager, Mike has a high level of proficiency in health information, casemix management and CDI. A skilled communicator with an intense passion for the healthcare industry, Mike has rolled out numerous CDI programs across Australia for a large private hospital group. He is regarded by his peers as an authority on implementing CDI programs seamlessly with clinicians and health leaders.

Samantha Ryan

Clinical Documentation Nurse Consultant

With a diverse nursing background, Samantha has 20 years of experience working in Australian and UK hospitals. She holds a Master’s Degree in Nursing, specialising in teaching and learning. Recognised as one of the most experienced clinical documentation specialists in the country, Samantha has practiced in acute care, as a Clinical Nurse Specialist and as a Clinical Educator. Samantha holds the esteem of her peers for her involvement in the first formal, concurrent CDI program with specialised training in the private sector.

Anita Maitra

Clinical Documentation Nurse Consultant

With a Master’s degree in Clinical Nursing, Anita is committed to the delivery of high-quality care through informed and passionate leadership. Her nursing career spans over two decades in the UK and Australia. Anita’s career has focused on roles within critical care and education. This path has seen her develop an intense understanding of clinical documentation and hospital systems. Often required to provide care to complex patients, she noted that vital information was frequently omitted from their medical record. Her passion for the importance of clinical documentation is well respected amongst her peers. As a valued member of the CDIA team, she continues to address issues facing everyday patient care and is a strong advocate for evidence-based care.

Dr Kelsi Marris

Medical Doctor

Dr Kelsi Marris is one of CDIA’s medical doctors. Her career includes wide-ranging experience working as a resident in hospitals in QLD, NSW and VIC. During her work within different specialist departments, Kelsi developed a keen interest in optimising healthcare systems. This led to the completion of a Masters Degree in Public Health to further her understanding of effective communications and information strategies. Kelsi’s role at CDIA brings together her clinical background, communication skills and passion for patient safety. Her dedication to the improvement of clinical documentation and her drive for system-level change underpin her team’s success.

Dr Renae Lawrence

Medical Doctor

Dr Renae Lawrence brings clinical experience to her role as one of CDIA’s medical doctors. Having worked in a range of settings, Renae is dedicated to enhancing the quality and safety of healthcare through clinical documentation improvement. She is a passionate spokesperson for education and improving patient outcomes through system-level change. Renae’s commitment to this passion is evident as she continues to build relationships and nurture partnerships between hospitals and CDIA.

Dr Ria Ko

Medical Doctor

Dr Ria Ko is one of CDIA’s medical doctors and is an incredible communicator. It is always surprising to witness how receptive clinicians are when they are educated by their own kind! Ria has completed the Basic Physician Training program with the College of Physicians and is taking a hiatus with CDIA before she completes the Advanced Training program. Ria has a background in quality improvement initiatives and is passionate about improving systems to enhance patient outcomes. Ria is also gifted in communicating the medical perspective to HIM, CDS and coding staff.

Our core values

Timely and honest feedback
Reliable and respectful
Ownership and innovation
Building enduring relationships through authentic connections
Exceptional customer service
Insist on the highest standards
Culture of privacy
Enquire About the Pursuit Program