Pass the ACDIS Clinical Documentation Specialist CCDS-O Questions and answers with ExamsMirror

CMS assignsMedicare Administrative Contractors (MACs)to administer Medicare fee-for-service operations at the jurisdictional level, includingprocessing and paying both Part A and Part B claims. In outpatient CDI terms, MACs are central because they apply Medicare coverage rules, edit logic, and payment policies that determine whether documentation supports medical necessity and correct coding for submitted claims. This includes adjudicating hospital outpatient (Part B) services and facility-based Part A services, handling provider enrollment functions, issuing Local Coverage Determinations (as applicable through their medical review processes), and responding to claim inquiries and appeals routing. By contrast,Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs)focus on identifying and recovering improper payments (post-payment auditing).Risk Adjustment Data Validation (RADV) contractorsvalidate diagnosis data submitted for risk-adjusted programs (primarily Medicare Advantage), not routine FFS claim processing.Zone Program Integrity Contractors (ZPICs)(and their successors in some contexts) focus on program integrity and fraud/waste/abuse investigations rather than standard claim adjudication. Therefore, the entity responsible for processing Part A and Part B beneficiary claims is the MAC.

The most compliant query is the one that is clinically supported, non-leading, and focused on clarifying documentation for correct reporting and medical necessity—without directing the provider to “add” diagnoses or document conditions for payment purposes. Option A presents relevant clinical context (no GI symptoms; family history) and asks the provider to clarify whether the planned colonoscopy is screening or diagnostic, which is a legitimate documentation clarification affecting correct code selection and coverage rules. It does not imply a desired answer and does not instruct the provider to document additional diagnoses. Option B is problematic because it instructs the provider to “document these conditions” if treated, which can be perceived as prompting and is not tied to encounter-specific indicators. Option C is based primarily on historical information and asks a yes/no about remission, which can be leading and may not reflect current-visit evaluation. Option D effectively asks the provider to add a diagnosis based on nursing documentation, which risks leading language and requires provider confirmation and assessment. Therefore, A is most compliant.

Sertraline is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) most commonly used to treat depressive disorders and several anxiety-related conditions. In outpatient chart review, recognizing medication–condition relationships supports accurate problem list maintenance and compliant diagnosis reporting, but the diagnosis must still be clearly documented as assessed/managed at the encounter. Depression is the best match because SSRIs like sertraline are first-line pharmacologic therapy for major depressive disorder and are frequently continued long-term with monitoring for symptom control, side effects, and functional status. Schizophrenia is primarily treated with antipsychotic medications; sertraline may be used only as an adjunct if a comorbid depressive or anxiety disorder is present, so it is not the common primary treatment. Asthma management centers on bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids, not SSRIs. Heart failure therapy involves guideline-directed cardiac medications (e.g., beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors/ARNI, diuretics), and sertraline is not a standard heart failure treatment. Outpatient CDI education emphasizes documenting the specific mental health diagnosis, current status (stable/worsening), and treatment plan to support coding.

The documented clinical picture and treatment plan better align with pneumonia than uncomplicated bronchitis, creating a clear documentation/coding consistency opportunity. ALLL infiltrate on chest x-rayis a classic clinical indicator for pneumonia, and prescribinglevofloxacinsupports treatment of a likely bacterial lower respiratory infection rather than routine viral bronchitis. The patient also hasfever, dyspnea, cough, and required an in-officenebulizer treatment, all of which can accompany pneumonia and increase clinical significance. In outpatient CDI practice, the most appropriate query is the one that clarifies the provider’s definitive diagnosis when objective findings and management suggest a more specific condition than what is stated (e.g., “possible bronchitis”). Querying for diabetic complications or heart failure specificity is not as directly supported by the encounter’s indicators and treatment actions provided, and “acuity of bronchitis” is secondary if the true condition is pneumonia. Clarifying whether pneumonia is present ensures accurate reporting, medical necessity support, and appropriate risk/quality capture.

Outpatient CDI programs should share provider-facing metrics that are clinically meaningful, aligned with ambulatory documentation goals, and unlikely to be perceived as payment-driven prompting.RAF scoresare an appropriate metric because they reflect how well the documented and coded condition burden represents the patient panel’s complexity in risk adjustment models. Discussing RAF supports education around accurate diagnosis capture, specificity, and annual recapture of active chronic conditions that are monitored, evaluated, assessed/addressed, or treated. In contrast,APC payment ratesare facility OPPS payment constructs and typically are not actionable for individual ambulatory provider documentation improvement.HCC per member per month paymentsis explicitly financial and can create compliance risk by tying documentation discussions directly to payment, which outpatient CDI guidance warns against in provider messaging.MCC ratesare primarily an inpatient DRG severity concept and are not the most relevant outpatient performance measure. Therefore, RAF scores best balance provider relevance, program goals, and compliant education focus.

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.

In outpatient CDI,MEATis a commonly taught framework used to determine whether a condition is sufficiently supported asreportablefor a specific encounter. MEAT stands forMonitor, Evaluate, Assess/Address, and Treat. The concept is that diagnoses should not simply be copied forward on a problem list; they should be tied to provider work and clinical relevance during the visit. “Monitor” includes reviewing status, trends, or test results related to the condition. “Evaluate” includes ordering or interpreting studies, considering disease progression, or documenting response to therapy. “Assess/Address” includes documenting stability, exacerbation, or risk and making a plan (education, counseling, referrals). “Treat” includes medications, procedures, or other therapeutic interventions. Using MEAT helps CDI staff educate providers to document thecurrent statusand management of chronic diseases, supports accurate coding and risk adjustment, and reduces denials by showing medical necessity. OPPS, MACRA, and RADV are important regulatory/payment terms, but they are not the standard acronym used to assess encounter-level reportability.

In ambulatory CDI, “risk adjustment impact” means the clarification can change whether an HCC-relevant condition is captured accurately (or captured at all) based on ICD-10-CM reporting rules. Here, “DM2 with peripheral neuropathy with diabetic ulcer” already establishes diabeteswith complications, so querying option B adds little—complications are already documented. “Nicotine dependence” is not supported because the patient stopped smoking two years ago; at most, this supports a history of nicotine dependence, which generally does not drive HCC risk scoring. “Morbid obesity” may be clinically relevant (BMI 43 supports it), but obesity typically does not produce meaningful CMS-HCC risk adjustment impact compared with other chronic categories. Thediabetic ulcerdoes matter: correct reporting requires an additional L97.- code that depends onulcer severity/depth(skin breakdown, fat layer exposed, necrosis of muscle/bone). Clarifying depth supports accurate ulcer severity coding and can affect HCC capture/validation for chronic ulcer burden.

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.

Stage 3 pressure ulcers are defined byfull-thickness skin losswhere the injury extends through the dermis and involvesdamage or necrosis of subcutaneous tissue. Clinically, the ulcer may present as a deep crater and can include undermining or tunneling, but the key boundary is thatbone, tendon, and muscle are not exposed. That deeper involvement (exposed muscle/tendon/bone) is characteristic of Stage 4, making option C incorrect. Option D describes partial-thickness loss, which aligns with Stage 2 (epidermis/dermis involvement such as abrasion or blister). Option A reflects early skin changes that correspond more closely to Stage 1 (intact skin with non-blanchable erythema and possible localized edema/induration). In outpatient CDI chart review, accurately distinguishing Stage 3 from Stage 2 and Stage 4 is essential because staging drives severity capture, care planning (wound care interventions, debridement considerations), and quality reporting. Documentation should clearly support “full thickness,” the tissue layers involved, and the absence of exposed bone/tendon/muscle.