10 free, exam-style Certified Documentation Expert Outpatient (CDEO) practice questions with answers and explanations. No signup required. Work through them below, then take the full free CDEO practice test to study every exam domain.
A CDI specialist is reviewing the chart of a 74-year-old Medicare Advantage patient with Type 2 diabetes, COPD, and chronic kidney disease. The provider's assessment states: "DM2, COPD, CKD - continue current medications." No individual condition is separately addressed. The CDI specialist should:
Correct answer: A - Query the provider to individually address each chronic condition with MEAT documentation
A patient's lab results show a BUN of 42 mg/dL, creatinine of 2.8 mg/dL, and eGFR of 22 mL/min. The provider documents "elevated renal labs" but does not document a diagnosis. According to AHIMA/ACDIS compliant query guidelines, which query type is MOST appropriate?
Correct answer: B - Open-ended query referencing the clinical indicators and requesting clarification
A patient's medication list includes carvedilol, furosemide, sacubitril/valsartan, and spironolactone. These medications are MOST consistent with treatment for:
Correct answer: A - Systolic heart failure as ordinarily interpreted
An established patient presents to the office for management of two stable chronic conditions (hypertension and hypothyroidism) and a new acute uncomplicated UTI. The provider orders a urinalysis and urine culture, reviews results from a recent outside emergency department visit, and prescribes an antibiotic. Using the MDM 2-of-3 rule, the MDM level that BEST supports this encounter is:
Correct answer: B - Moderate as commonly understood
A provider documents "suspected Type 2 diabetes" for a new outpatient presenting with polyuria, polydipsia, and a fasting glucose of 210 mg/dL. The coder should assign:
Correct answer: C - R73.09 (Other abnormal glucose) and applicable symptom codes for this purpose
Under the CMS-HCC V28 risk adjustment model, fully phased in for payment year 2026, which of the following is an accurate change from the V24 model?
Correct answer: D - Related HCC pairs were constrained to carry equal coefficients
A patient has documented essential hypertension and stage 3a chronic kidney disease. The provider does not explicitly state a causal relationship between the two conditions. The correct ICD-10-CM code assignment is:
Correct answer: D - I12.9 and N18.31, because a causal relationship is assumed in this context
A physician refers Medicare patients requiring MRI studies to an imaging center in which she holds a 15% ownership stake. No applicable exception is in place. This arrangement MOST directly violates:
Correct answer: C - The Stark Law, due to self-referral for a designated health service
A nurse practitioner sees an established patient in the physician's office for a new complaint of chest pain. The supervising physician is present in the office suite but does not personally see the patient. The NP documents the encounter and the physician co-signs the note. This service:
Correct answer: A - Must be billed under the NP's NPI because the visit is for a new problem
A CDI specialist is conducting a retrospective chart review for a Medicare Advantage patient. The medical record documents a functioning kidney transplant, a below-knee amputation of the right leg, and dependence on chronic dialysis, but none of these conditions appear in the encounter's assessment or coded diagnoses. This scenario BEST illustrates a failure to capture:
Correct answer: B - Conditions identified by the TOADD mnemonic
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