CCDS-O Exam Dumps - ACDIS Clinical Documentation Specialist Questions and Answers

A well-maintained problem list supports continuity of care by giving the care team an accurate, up-to-date clinical “snapshot” of active and relevant historical conditions that affect ongoing management, decision-making, and risk assessment. Outpatient CDI education emphasizes that the problem list should be curated—conditions should be current, clinically meaningful, and appropriately resolved or clarified (e.g., active vs history, controlled vs uncontrolled). Option A is incorrect because diagnoses are not removed based on an arbitrary time threshold; they are updated based on clinical status (resolved, inactive, erroneous, or no longer relevant). Option C is inaccurate because simply adding more diagnoses can introduce noise and increase the risk of outdated or incorrect conditions being propagated (“problem list bloat”), which can harm patient safety and lead to inaccurate coding. Option D is inaccurate because CDI professionals typicallydo notindependently update the problem list; rather, they support providers through compliant queries, education, and process improvements so the treating provider validates and maintains the record. Therefore, B best reflects outpatient documentation best practice.

A core outpatient guideline difference is how to handle uncertainty in diagnoses. In the inpatient setting, facilities may code diagnoses documented as “probable,” “suspected,” “likely,” or “rule out” at discharge if they meet inpatient reporting rules. In outpatient/office settings, however, uncertain conditions generally are not coded as established diagnoses because the encounter is often focused on evaluation rather than confirmed final diagnoses. Instead, outpatient coding relies on confirmed conditions and/or signs and symptoms when a definitive diagnosis has not been made. This is why outpatient CDI education emphasizes precise provider language: if the clinician is still evaluating, they should document the symptom/abnormal finding and the assessment plan; if the condition is confirmed, they should state it clearly and link it to evaluation/management performed. Options A, B, and D are incorrect because chronic conditions may need to be reported whenever they are assessed/managed, “first-listed” is an outpatient concept distinct from inpatient “principal,” and documentation should support all clinically relevant conditions addressed, not only the chief complaint.

In outpatient CDI chart review, a key skill is recognizing when medications and treatment plans suggest a specific diabetic complication that is not explicitly documented. Gabapentin is commonly prescribed for neuropathic pain, and in a diabetic patient it is frequently used to treatdiabetic peripheral neuropathysymptoms (burning, tingling, numbness, shooting pain). ACDIS outpatient CDI guidance supports querying when there are strong clinical indicators that a more specific, clinically relevant diagnosis may be present and is being treated at the encounter, because diabetes codes require complication specificity when supported (e.g., “diabetes with neuropathy” rather than unspecified diabetes). The elevated glucose and A1C confirm ongoing diabetes management but do not, by themselves, indicate CKD, macular degeneration, or ketoacidosis. Ketoacidosis would require documentation of acute metabolic decompensation and supporting clinical/lab findings, which are not provided here. Therefore, the most appropriate clarification is whether the patient has diabetic peripheral neuropathy (and whether it is painful neuropathy) being managed with gabapentin, so the provider can document the condition clearly and accurately.

The patient’s RAF is calculated by adding the applicable HCC weights plus the demographic factor, but only after applying the HCC model’s hierarchy rules. In outpatient risk adjustment education (as emphasized in ACDIS-based training), certain condition groups are hierarchical—meaning multiple related diagnoses in the same hierarchy do not “stack.” Instead, only the highest-ranked HCC in that disease group contributes to the RAF. Here, “diabetes with nephropathy” and “diabetes with retinopathy” both carry the same HCC weight (0.166) and fall within the diabetes complication hierarchy, so they do not add together; only one 0.166 value is counted. Atrial fibrillation contributes separately (0.299), and the demographic risk factor contributes (0.332). Therefore, the final RAF is 0.166 + 0.299 + 0.332 = 0.797. This illustrates why outpatient CDI focuses on documenting all clinically supported conditions for care accuracy, while understanding that some related diagnoses won’t increase RAF beyond the highest applicable HCC in that hierarchy.

This encounter documents both hypertension and heart failure management, creating a key outpatient documentation/coding clarification opportunity: whether the heart failure is related to hypertension (hypertensive heart disease with heart failure). Outpatient CDI principles emphasize capturing the true clinical relationships that affect code assignment, risk adjustment, and longitudinal disease management. When HTN and HF coexist, coding may require combination coding and correct sequencing, plus an additional heart failure code to describe the specific HF type. Provider documentation that explicitly links (or explicitly rules out) a causal relationship supports compliant selection of the most accurate diagnosis codes and reduces ambiguity during chart review. The other options are weaker: the provider already documents HFrEF (type), and while added severity detail can help, the scenario’s primary clarification “opportunity” is the HTN–HF relationship. DM type 1 inherently involves insulin, so “insulin status” is not the key outpatient clarification point here, and there is no typical direct linkage between DM and arthritis supported by the note.

The CDI specialist shouldreview CKD staging criteria with the providerbecause assigning CKD based on asingle eGFR valuecan be clinically unreliable and may lead to inaccurate documentation and coding. Outpatient CDI guidance emphasizes that documentation must reflect a condition that isclinically valid, supported by the record, and accurately described, especially for chronic diseases. CKD is generally established by evidence of decreased kidney function or kidney damage that ispersistent, not a one-time lab that could be affected by hydration status, acute illness, medications, or transient physiologic changes. While an eGFR of52falls within the numeric range commonly associated withstage 3a, the key CDI issue is thefoundation for diagnosing chronic disease, not simply whether the number is “reportable.” Option A inappropriately directs CDI to add diagnoses to claims; CDI supports providers and coding, but does not independently “add” conditions. Option C is incorrect because chronic conditions may be coded when addressed/impact care, not only when actively treated. Option D is unsupported because eGFR 52 does not suggest stage 4.

Symbicort is an inhaled combination medication containing an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) and a long-acting beta-agonist (LABA). In outpatient chart review, this medication class is most strongly associated with chronic airway inflammatory diseases requiring controller therapy—especiallypersistent asthma(and also maintenance therapy for COPD, though COPD is not an option here). For CDI purposes, medication-to-diagnosis linkage can act as a clinical indicator supporting clarification when the visit note lists respiratory symptoms but does not clearly document the chronic condition being treated or its acuity/status. Symbicort is not used to treat musculoskeletal degenerative disease (osteoarthritis), peripheral nerve pain from diabetes (diabetic neuropathy), or cardiac pump failure (congestive heart failure). When Symbicort appears on the active med list, outpatient CDI commonly checks that the provider’s documentation appropriately reflects asthma classification (intermittent vs persistent), current control, exacerbation status if applicable, and that the condition is being monitored/assessed/treated during the encounter to support reportability and accurate coding.

Outpatient CDI queries are most commonly triggered when there is a disconnect between the documented diagnosis and the documented treatment plan, suggesting that the clinician may be managing an additional condition that is not clearly stated, or that the diagnosis is inaccurately documented. Options A and B reflect typical, clinically aligned management: luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone therapy is a standard treatment pathway for prostate carcinoma, and amiodarone is a recognized antiarrhythmic used in atrial fibrillation management in appropriate circumstances. Option C can also be clinically consistent because parenteral nutrition is often used when malnutrition is present and the patient cannot meet nutritional needs enterally. Option D is the outlier: “immunotherapy” is not a standard treatment for severe major depressive disorder and more commonly aligns with oncology or certain immune-mediated diseases. This mismatch would appropriately prompt a query to clarify the actual condition being treated (e.g., an active malignancy) or to confirm whether “immunotherapy” refers to something else (such as allergy immunotherapy) and whether depression is the correct, visit-relevant diagnosis being addressed.

In outpatient CDI, diagnoses reported for an encounter must be supported as current and clinically relevant to that visit (evaluated, monitored, assessed, treated, or otherwise affecting care). The note documents ahistoryof sick sinus syndrome with pacemaker placement in 2016 and indicates the current rhythm ispaced. The most clearly reportable, present condition is thepresence of a cardiac pacemaker, which is a status that can affect clinical decision-making (e.g., interpretation of rhythm findings, medication choices, procedures, and future cardiac evaluation) and is appropriate to code when documented. However, the documentation does not show that sick sinus syndrome itself was actively assessed or managed during this visit; it is referenced as a past condition leading to the device. Because outpatient coding does not assume an active diagnosis solely from historical mention, the best action is to capture thepacemaker statuscode only. Retrospective amendment requests or rebilling steps are not the first-line CDI action when the documentation does not support active management of the underlying arrhythmia.

For outpatient Evaluation and Management (E/M) services, “medical necessity” is ultimately judged against Medicare coverage policy, which is established through National Coverage Determinations (NCDs) and Local Coverage Determinations (LCDs). NCDs set nationwide rules for when specific services are considered reasonable and necessary, while LCDs are developed by Medicare Administrative Contractors to define coverage expectations within their jurisdictions, including indications, frequency limits, required documentation elements, and diagnosis-to-service relationships. Outpatient CDI and coding education emphasizes that correct E/M code selection and documentation must support not only the level of service (MDM/time) but also why the service was needed based on the patient’s condition and the payer’s coverage criteria. Specialty society recommendations and AMA/AHA guidance can inform clinical practice and coding conventions, but they do not define Medicare coverage requirements. Likewise, AHIMA provides professional guidance but does not set payer medical necessity policy. Therefore, the most accurate source defining medical necessity criteria for billing compliance is NCDs and LCDs.