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| Section | Weight | Objectives |
|---|---|---|
| Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting | 14.17% | - Principal and secondary diagnosis assignment - Coding guidelines, AHA Coding Clinic, HACs, and POA indicators |
| Healthcare regulations, reimbursement, and documentation requirements related to the IPPS | 12.5% | - IPPS, MS-DRGs, reimbursement, and medical necessity - CC/MCC, CMI, Medicare contractors, and compliance |
| Professionalism, ethics, and compliance | 9.17% | - Query compliance, DRG creep, and audit risks - Confidentiality, DRG compliance, and ethical CDI practices |
| Anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and medical terminology | 19.17% | - Anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and terminology - Clinical conditions and clinical indicators |
| Communication skills | 9.17% | - CDI and coding roles and interdisciplinary collaboration - Physician education and effective communication |
| Medical record documentation | 19.17% | - Documentation requirements and diagnosis or procedure code assignment - Documentation clarification and compliant physician queries |
| Healthcare facility CDI program analysis | 8.33% | - CDI productivity, provider response, CMI, and program metrics - Data analysis, forecasting, and performance measurement |
| Impact of reportable diagnoses on quality of care | 8.33% | - Quality metrics, reporting programs, and financial impact - Mortality, severity of illness, and risk of mortality |
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NEW QUESTION # 144
Two diagnoses both meet the definition of principal diagnosis and either could appropriately be sequenced first under the circumstances of admission. No specific sequencing instruction directs otherwise. Which rule applies?
Answer: D
Explanation:
When two diagnoses equally meet the definition of principal diagnosis, either condition may be sequenced first when the circumstances of admission, diagnostic workup, and treatment equally support both and no specific coding guideline, tabular instruction, or other sequencing rule directs otherwise.
The principal diagnosis cannot be selected based on which option generates higher payment. Financial outcome is not a legitimate sequencing criterion.
Likewise, chronological age of the diagnosis does not determine principal-diagnosis status. The principal diagnosis is established after study as the condition chiefly responsible for occasioning the admission.
A CDI query may be appropriate when the documentation does not actually establish whether both diagnoses equally occasioned the admission. However, querying simply because one sequencing choice would produce a more favorable MS-DRG is inappropriate.
This scenario tests the distinction between valid coding flexibility and improper reimbursement-driven documentation practices. CDI professionals must understand coding conventions well enough to avoid unnecessary queries while recognizing genuine ambiguity that requires provider clarification.
The FY 2026 MS-DRG grouper and Definitions Manual published by CMS provide the applicable grouper logic for the current fiscal year.
CCDS Reference Topics: Principal diagnosis; equally qualifying diagnoses; sequencing; ethical reimbursement practice.
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NEW QUESTION # 145
A patient undergoes colorectal surgery. On postoperative day 2, the physician documents "ileus." The record shows absent bowel sounds and abdominal distention, but the surgeon also states that delayed bowel function is expected at this stage of recovery. Which action is MOST appropriate?
Answer: B
Explanation:
The record contains uncertainty regarding whether the documented ileus represents expected postoperative physiology or a clinically significant complication, making provider clarification appropriate.
Temporary impairment of gastrointestinal motility is common following abdominal surgery. Therefore, the mere occurrence of an ileus after surgery does not automatically establish a complication of care. Conversely, prolonged or clinically significant postoperative ileus requiring substantial treatment, extended hospitalization, nasogastric decompression, or other interventions may warrant distinct documentation.
The CDI specialist must not infer the complication relationship solely from timing. The Official Guidelines emphasize that a condition occurring after medical or surgical care is not automatically classified as a complication; appropriate provider documentation of the relationship and clinical significance is required where applicable.
Option C is also incorrect because postoperative ileus can be a reportable condition when clinically significant and appropriately documented. Option D substitutes a separate diagnosis without provider support.
The query should provide relevant duration, symptoms, imaging, diet status, nasogastric tube use, treatment, and expected postoperative course while allowing the surgeon to characterize the condition.
CCDS Reference Topics: Postoperative ileus; complications of care; postoperative documentation; clinical clarification.
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NEW QUESTION # 146
Which of the following is considered by CMS to be a HAC requiring MS-DRG adjustment if not POA?
Answer: D
Explanation:
CMS specifically includes deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism following certain orthopedic procedures, including total knee replacement and hip replacement, among Hospital-Acquired Conditions subject to the HAC/POA payment provisions. Therefore, option C is correct.
Under the IPPS HAC payment policy, qualifying conditions that were not present on admission may lose their normal CC/MCC effect for MS-DRG assignment when all applicable criteria are met. This makes accurate POA determination essential in CDI and coding.
Pressure ulcers are also part of the HAC framework, but the CMS category historically applies specifically to Stage III and Stage IV pressure ulcers. An unstageable pressure ulcer does not automatically satisfy the Stage III/IV HAC category merely because it is severe or clinically significant. CMS materials distinguish an unstageable ulcer from a documented Stage III or IV ulcer.
Postoperative pneumonia and septic shock are not, by themselves, the specified HAC category represented by the answer choices.
The CCDS blueprint specifically requires candidates to identify CMS-designated HACs and understand the effect of POA assignment on payment.
CCDS Reference Topics: IPPS; Hospital-Acquired Conditions; POA; MS-DRG adjustment.
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NEW QUESTION # 147
A physician documents obesity. A registered dietitian records a BMI of 38.4 kg/mยฒ. Which statement is MOST accurate?
Answer: A
NEW QUESTION # 148
The attending physician documents acute respiratory failure. The patient has normal respiratory effort, oxygen saturation of 97% on room air, no supplemental oxygen requirement, and no ventilatory support. What is the MOST appropriate CDI action?
Answer: D
Explanation:
This is a classic clinical validation query scenario. A diagnosis has been documented, but the available clinical evidence appears inconsistent with or insufficient to support that diagnosis.
The CDI specialist should not independently delete acute respiratory failure, substitute another diagnosis, or direct coding personnel to disregard provider documentation without an appropriate clarification process.
Instead, the query should objectively present the relevant clinical findings-normal respiratory effort, room- air oxygenation, absence of escalating oxygen requirements, and absence of ventilatory support-and ask the provider to clarify the diagnosis.
The provider may confirm respiratory failure and document additional clinical reasoning, revise the diagnosis, identify another condition, or state that the diagnosis was ruled out. The CDI specialist's responsibility is to support record integrity, not to replace provider clinical judgment.
The official CCDS content outline specifically requires candidates to understand mechanisms for addressing diagnoses lacking clinical support and to distinguish compliant from noncompliant queries. The current 2026 ACDIS/AHIMA guidance is the foundational query-practice standard.
CCDS Reference Topics: Clinical validation; respiratory failure; unsupported diagnoses; compliant query practice; documentation integrity.
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NEW QUESTION # 149
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