CDIP Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the CDIP exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
📋 CDIP Exam Format at a Glance
📚 CDIP Topics to Study (69)
✍️ Sample CDIP Questions & Answers
1. In the context of CDI and clinical validation, what does 'clinical evidence' include that payer 'clinical criteria' does NOT always include?
Clinical evidence encompasses all care team documentation, while payer criteria are often narrow, proprietary thresholds that may not reflect the full clinical picture.
2. Which organization publishes the Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting that CDI professionals must follow for ICD-10-CM/PCS?
The Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting are published cooperatively by the AHA, AHIMA, CMS, and NCHS (the four cooperating parties).
3. In the MS-DRG grouping logic, what happens when NEITHER a CC nor an MCC is present for a condition that has a three-way DRG split?
When no qualifying CC or MCC is coded, the MS-DRG grouper assigns the case to the lowest-weight base DRG in the three-way split, reducing reimbursement.
4. Which element is essential in every compliant physician query to ensure documentation integrity?
Compliant queries must include the clinical indicators that prompted the question, providing the physician with objective evidence to inform their response.
5. Which of the following query formats is generally considered most compliant by AHIMA?
Open-ended queries allow the physician to respond freely without being directed toward a specific answer, making them the most compliant format.
6. A hospital's CDI program improves its case mix index (CMI) by 0.15 over one year. What is the MOST important factor that validates this improvement is compliance-driven rather than fraudulent?
Legitimate CMI improvement must be supported by documented clinical evidence in the medical record; improvement without supporting documentation suggests upcoding.