Free Practice Questions for AHIMA CDIP Exam

According to the ACDIS Practice Brief, a query escalation policy should describe how to handle situations in which an answer is not received, an inappropriate answer or comment is provided, etc. The escalation policy should address when the issue is brought to the physician advisor, the department director, or administration with defined actions as to the responsibilities at each level. The policies should reflect a method of response that can realistically occur for the organization1. In this case, since two physicians have significantly lower query response rates than the target, the CDI physician advisor/champion should schedule individual meetings with each low-performing physician to provide feedback, education, and support. A group meeting with all physicians may not be effective or efficient, as it may not address the specific barriers or challenges faced by the low-performing physicians. A meeting with the chair of the gastroenterology department may be helpful, but it may not be sufficient to resolve the issue without direct communication with the low-performing physicians.

References:

CDI Week 2020 Q&A: CDI and key performance indicators1

The first line of escalation for an unanswered query is the CDI Manager because they are responsible for overseeing the CDI program and ensuring compliance with query policies and procedures. The CDI Manager can monitor the query response rates, identify the providers who are not responding, and communicate with them to address any issues or barriers. The CDI Manager can also provide education and feedback to the providers on the importance and benefits of timely query responses. If the CDI Manager is unable to resolve the problem, then they can escalate it to the next level, such as the Medical Director or the CDI Steering Committee. (CDIP Exam Preparation Guide)

References:

CDIP Exam Content Outline1

CDIP Exam Preparation Guide2

Q&A: Establishing an escalation policy for inappropriate queries3