Free Practice Questions for ACDIS CCDS-O Exam

Answer : B

Under CMS-HCC risk adjustment (commonly applied to Medicare Advantage), qualifying diagnoses must come from acceptable encounter/claim sources and eligible provider types. Hospital-based outpatient services (including a hospital ambulatory clinic) are among the standard, acceptable settings where diagnoses documented, coded, and submitted on qualifying encounters may be used for risk adjustment---assuming they are supported, assessed/managed, and submitted per program requirements. In contrast, certain facility claim types do not typically contribute to CMS-HCC capture in the same way. Hospice care is generally treated as a carve-out/unique payment environment and is not relied upon as a routine source of risk-adjusting diagnosis capture for the member's ongoing RAF. Renal dialysis centers (ESRD facilities) likewise operate under specialized payment constructs and are not the typical outpatient setting used to drive CMS-HCC diagnosis capture for risk adjustment in standard CDI workflows. Freestanding ambulatory surgical centers also frequently fall outside the usual risk-adjustment-eligible encounter sources emphasized in outpatient CDI programs. Therefore, the hospital ambulatory clinic is the correct setting among these choices.

Answer : C

A Stage 4 pressure ulcer (pressure injury) is characterized by full-thickness tissue loss with extensive destruction, tissue necrosis, or damage to muscle, bone, or supporting structures. The key phrase in the question---''necrosis of soft tissue through the underlying muscle''---signals a depth of injury that extends beyond the subcutaneous tissue and involves muscle, which is consistent with Stage 4. By comparison, Stage 2 involves partial-thickness skin loss with exposed dermis (no necrosis through deeper structures). Stage 3 involves full-thickness skin loss where adipose may be visible, but muscle, tendon, or bone are not exposed; undermining and tunneling may occur, yet the defining line is that it does not extend to muscle/bone involvement. ''Stage 5'' is not part of standard pressure ulcer staging used in coding and documentation. Outpatient CDI practice emphasizes documenting the exact stage, anatomic location, laterality when applicable, and whether the ulcer is healing or complicated (infection/osteomyelitis) because stage drives specificity, severity capture, and appropriate care planning documentation.

Answer : D

Outpatient diagnosis reporting requires coding conditions that are evaluated, assessed, treated, or that influence care/management at the encounter. The chief reason for the visit is the persistent cough, which is assessed and attributed to an adverse effect of an ACE inhibitor (enalapril). For outpatient coding of medication adverse effects, the documentation supports reporting both the manifestation (cough) and the adverse effect of the drug (ACE inhibitor adverse effect), because the provider identified the causal relationship and changed therapy by discontinuing enalapril. In addition, the provider addresses chronic conditions that are clinically relevant to the visit: COPD is assessed as ''stable'' and the patient is instructed to continue COPD/asthma medications, demonstrating ongoing management. Hypertension also remains relevant because medication therapy is adjusted due to the adverse effect; the patient still has HTN even though one agent is discontinued. Therefore, all five items---cough, ACE inhibitor adverse effect, COPD, asthma, and hypertension---are supported and should be reported, making option D the most appropriate.

Answer : B

The record contains conflicting documentation: the problem list includes both ''type 2 diabetes without complications'' and diabetes with complications (erectile dysfunction association), while the most recent clinic note indicates the provider addressed ''DM2 with autonomic neuropathy,'' which is clearly a diabetic complication. In outpatient CDI, the first priority is to resolve internal inconsistency so coding accurately reflects the patient's current clinical status and what was evaluated/managed at the encounter. A query should therefore focus on whether the patient's diabetes is with complications (and which complications are active/being addressed) versus truly without complications, because ''without complications'' is generally not appropriate when neuropathy/other manifestations are present and being managed. CDI staff also should not unilaterally remove items from the provider-maintained problem list, and asking the patient is not a reliable documentation/coding source for establishing diagnoses. Once the provider clarifies diabetes complication status, a follow-up clarification can address specific linkages (e.g., erectile dysfunction due to diabetes) if needed for correct code assignment

Answer : C

In outpatient CDI practice, a common reason to query is a mismatch between what is being evaluated/treated and what is explicitly documented as an active condition for the encounter. A diagnostic chest x-ray aligns with the already-documented symptom (chronic cough), and a nutrition specialist referral aligns with an established diagnosis (obesity); neither inherently suggests an undocumented condition. Prescribing captopril aligns with documented HTN management, so it generally would not create documentation ambiguity requiring clarification (even though ACE inhibitors can be associated with cough, the plan alone does not establish a new reportable diagnosis). In contrast, ordering an HbA1c often signals assessment for diabetes, impaired glucose regulation, or monitoring of known diabetes. Because diabetes is not listed in the history provided, the HbA1c order may prompt the CDI specialist to query whether the provider is evaluating a suspected or existing glycemic disorder, whether there is a diagnosis such as prediabetes/diabetes being addressed, and to ensure the record clearly supports the medical necessity and any reportable condition.