CDIP Exam Questions Tutorials

According to the AHIMA CDIP Exam Preparation Guide, a query is a communication tool or process used to clarify documentation in the health record for documentation integrity and accurate code assignment1. A query should be clear, concise, and consistent, and should include relevant clinical indicators that support the query1. A query should also provide multiple choice answer options that are supported by clinical indicators and include a non-leading query statement2. In this case, the patient presents with signs and symptoms of sepsis, such as fever, tachycardia, tachypnea, hypotension, and elevated white blood count. The patient also has a positive sputum culture for klebsiella pneumoniae, which is the likely source of infection. However, the hospitalist continues to document septicemia due to pneumonia, which is a vague and outdated term that does not reflect the patient’s true severity of illness, risk of mortality, or reimbursement3. Therefore, a query to the hospitalist to clarify the diagnosis of sepsis and its etiology is appropriate and compliant. The diagnosis that implies that a query was sent and answered is B. Sepsis with pneumonia due to klebsiella pneumoniae. This diagnosis is more specific and accurate than septicemia due to pneumonia, as it indicates the type of infection (sepsis), the site of infection (pneumonia), and the causal organism (klebsiella pneumoniae). This diagnosis also affects the assignment of DRGs and quality scores. The other options are not correct because they either do not provide enough specificity ©, or they introduce additional diagnoses that are not supported by the clinical indicators (A and D). References:

• CDIP Exam Preparation Guide - AHIMA
• Guidelines for Achieving a Compliant Query Practice (2019 Update) - AHIMA
• Q&A: Three query opportunities related to sepsis infections | ACDIS
• [Q&A: Clinical validation of sepsis and clinical criteria | ACDIS]

A CC/MCC capture rate is a metric that measures the percentage of cases that have at least one complication or comorbidity (CC) or major complication or comorbidity (MCC) coded in the medical record. This metric is important for a CDI program because CCs and MCCs affect the severity of illness, risk of mortality, and reimbursement of the cases under the Medicare Severity-Diagnosis Related Group (MS-DRG) system. A higher CC/MCC capture rate indicates a more accurate and complete documentation of the patient’s condition and the resources used to treat them. A CDI program can use this metric to monitor the effectiveness of its queries, education, and feedback to the providers and coders. A CDI program can also compare its CC/MCC capture rate with national or regional benchmarks to identify areas of improvement or best practices 2.

References: 1: AHIMA CDIP Exam Prep, Fourth Edition, p. 133 3 2: The Natural History of CDI Programs: A Metric-Based Model 4

An open-ended query is a type of query that allows the provider to respond with free text, rather than choosing from a list of options or answering yes or no. An open-ended query is appropriate when the CDIP is looking for clarity on whether a diagnosis has been “ruled in” or “ruled out”, because it allows the provider to document the final diagnosis or impression based on the clinical evidence and reasoning. An open-ended query also avoids leading or suggesting a specific diagnosis to the provider, which could compromise the integrity and validity of the documentation. (Guidelines for Achieving a Compliant Query Practice (2019 Update) - AHIMA1)

References:

• Guidelines for Achieving a Compliant Query Practice (2019 Update) - AHIMA1