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ACDIS CCDS Exam Syllabus Topics:
| Section | Weight | Objectives |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare facility CDI program analysis | 8.33% | - Publicly reported data - Case mix index (CMI) - Physician performance measurement - CC/MCC capture - High-frequency DRGs - CDI program forecasting - PEPPER data - Tracking and trending physician, department, and hospital performance - Severity of illness and risk of mortality - Basic computer and software application skills - Patient Safety Indicators - Hospital-specific financial data - CDI specialist productivity metrics - Provider response rates - Hospital Value-Based Purchasing measures |
| Impact of reportable diagnoses on quality of care | 8.33% | - Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program - Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program - Mortality reviews and observed/expected ratios - Hospital Value-Based Purchasing - Documentation and code assignment impact on mortality index - Coded data elements affecting Patient Safety Indicators - 30-day mortality measures - Quality data from record abstraction and claims data - Healthcare-associated infections and complication codes - Patient Safety Indicators - Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program - CDI impact on Hospital Value-Based Purchasing |
| Medical record documentation | 19.17% | - Physician query formats - Types of physician queries - Situations in which queries are not appropriate - ACDIS/AHIMA Guidelines for Achieving a Compliant Query Practice - Addressing diagnoses without clinical support - Health record elements used for diagnosis and procedure code assignment - Documentation requiring clarification - Compliant and noncompliant queries - Clinical indicators - When a physician query is warranted - Provider role and diagnosis code assignment - Translating clinical indicators into compliant queries |
| Healthcare regulations, reimbursement, and documentation requirements related to the IPPS | 12.5% | - Coding and billing practices vulnerable to denial - Medicare contractors and their impact on CDI - Case mix index (CMI) - Inpatient admission criteria and CMS Two-Midnight Rule - Principal diagnosis and medical necessity - IPPS and its updates and revisions - Medicare Severity Diagnosis Related Groups (MS-DRGs) - Major complication/comorbidity (MCC) - Documentation and medical necessity of setting - Medical staff and clinical staff documentation responsibilities - Documentation impact on IPPS reimbursement - Complication/comorbidity (CC) |
| Anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and medical terminology | 19.17% | - Diseases and disorders of the skin, subcutaneous tissue, and breast - Diseases and disorders of the circulatory system - Diseases and disorders of the musculoskeletal system - Diagnostic tests as clinical indicators - Standard medical abbreviations - HIV infections - Pharmaceuticals and disease processes - Diseases and disorders of the respiratory system - Clinical indicators and query opportunities by Major Diagnostic Category - Diseases and disorders of the nervous system - Diseases and disorders of the blood and blood-forming organs and immunological disorders - Endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases and disorders - Medications as clinical indicators - Myeloproliferative diseases and disorders and poorly differentiated neoplasms - Infectious and parasitic diseases - Injuries, poisonings, and toxic effects of drugs - Diseases and disorders of the digestive system - Diseases and disorders of the hepatobiliary system - Alcohol/drug use and alcohol/drug-induced organic brain disorders - Diseases and disorders of the kidney and urinary tract - Mental diseases and disorders |
| Communication skills | 9.17% | - Roles and responsibilities of coders working with CDI departments - Effective and non-confrontational physician communication - Physician education forms and tools - Verbal versus written physician communication - Educational presentations for healthcare departments and administration - Roles and responsibilities of CDI specialists - Reconciling CDI working DRGs with final coded DRGs |
| Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting | 14.17% | - Hospital-acquired conditions - Discharge dispositions and transfers - AHA Coding Clinic - Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting updates - Working DRG assignment for multiple diagnoses - Present on admission indicators - Secondary diagnosis assignment - Principal diagnosis assignment - Coding guidelines for principal diagnosis selection |
| Professionalism, ethics, and compliance | 9.17% | - Medical record confidentiality - CDI department goals beyond reimbursement - Leading queries - Potential DRG creep - Compliance risks indicated by PEPPER - DRG compliance initiatives |
ACDIS Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist Exam: Honest Answers to Real Questions
The official ACDIS Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist outline defines 8 domains. The leading three are Healthcare regulations, reimbursement, and documentation requirements related to the IPPS (12.5%), Communication skills (9.17%), and Professionalism, ethics, and compliance (9.17%). The full list is in the topics section above, and PracticeVCE's 152 practice questions cover each one.
Candidates must currently be employed as a concurrent or retrospective clinical documentation integrity specialist and meet one of three education/experience pathways: (1) RN, RHIA, RHIT, MD, or DO plus 2 years of CDI experience in an inpatient acute care facility using the U.S. IPPS; (2) an associate degree or equivalent in an allied health field plus 3 years of such CDI experience, with college-level medical terminology and anatomy/physiology coursework; or (3) formal accredited college-level coursework in medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, and disease process, or AHIMA CCS/CCS-P, plus 3 years of such CDI experience. A year of experience means full-time employment or more than 2,000 hours worked during that year. Since requirements change over time, confirm the latest on the official ACDIS exam page before scheduling.
The ACDIS Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist exam contains 140 to complete within 180 minutes. Timed simulation in the PracticeVCE Desktop Test Engine teaches that rhythm before exam day does.
ACDIS recommends these training resources for the ACDIS Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist exam:
Follow the training with steady self-testing — the 152 practice questions from PracticeVCE help you apply theory and fill any gaps the training leaves.
PracticeVCE issues a full refund if you take the ACDIS Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist exam within 60 days of purchase and do not pass. The policy does not apply if the exam is taken within 3 days of purchase, if the exam was never actually taken, or to free materials or expired orders, and the candidate name must match the payer name. Submit a scan of your enrollment slip and the official Score Report PDF within 2 days of the exam; claims are processed within 7 days. Alternatively, exchange for two free exam products of equal value and keep your original update service. Orders arrive by email within 1 minute — contact support if nothing arrives within 2 hours.
Three versions of the same study materials: a printable, expert-prepared PDF with free demo download and instant access; a Desktop Test Engine for Windows with customizable simulation and timed modes that works offline; and an Online Test Engine for any browser on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS with test history and performance review — not limited to any equipment, and friendly even without a network. All 152 practice questions are identical across versions. Every purchase includes 365 days of free updates, a 50% renewal discount afterward, and unlimited computer installations.
The CCDS exam is a ACDIS certification exam validating the ACDIS Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist syllabus shown above. Candidates in 2026 start with PracticeVCE's 152 practice questions, available as a printable PDF, a Windows Desktop Test Engine, and an Online Test Engine — three versions of the same materials.
The ACDIS Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist exam requires 88 correct out of 120 scored questions to pass, and registration costs USD 280 for ACDIS members / USD 380 for non-members. A failed attempt means paying the same fee again — a readiness check with the PracticeVCE engines before booking is the cheaper option.
Computer-based examination administered through Prometric at test centers internationally or via remote proctoring. Register for the ACDIS Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist exam through these official channels:
After booking, PracticeVCE delivers your practice questions within 1 minute — preparation starts the same day.
ACDIS Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist Sample Questions:
A hospital's case is assigned to an MS-DRG with a relative weight of 2.0000. What does the relative weight primarily indicate?
- A. The hospital should bill twice its normal charges
- B. The case is expected to consume approximately twice the average relative resources
- C. The patient's expected mortality is twice the national rate
- D. The patient is twice as sick as the average Medicare patient
Correct Answer: B 🗳️
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A patient is admitted with a documented diagnosis of acute hypoxic respiratory failure. Which of the following clinical data BEST supports the diagnosis?
- A. Tripod breathing, placed on non-rebreather, later intubated
- B. Speaking in short sentences, SaO# 91% on 2 L/NC
- C. Placed on O# 3 L/NC, SaO# 91%, respirations with ease on O#
- D. COPD patient on home O# 2 L/NC, SaO# 94%
Correct Answer: A 🗳️
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A patient is admitted with a stage 2 sacral pressure ulcer. During the hospitalization, the ulcer progresses and is documented as stage 3 at the same site. How should the pressure ulcer be reported?
- A. Assign only the stage 2 pressure-ulcer code
- B. Assign an unspecified-stage pressure-ulcer code because the stage changed
- C. Assign separate codes for the stage on admission and the highest stage reached during the hospitalization
- D. Assign only the stage 3 pressure-ulcer code
Correct Answer: C 🗳️
Explanation: Only visible for PracticeVCE members. You can sign-up / login (it's free).
A CDI specialist submits a neutral query regarding possible acute blood loss anemia. The physician answers
"clinically unable to determine." The CDI specialist believes documenting the diagnosis would increase reimbursement substantially. What is the MOST appropriate next action?
- A. Ask the coder to assign acute blood loss anemia regardless of the response
- B. Send the same query repeatedly until the physician selects acute blood loss anemia
- C. Respect the physician's response unless new clinical information creates a legitimate need for further clarification
- D. Change the response to acute blood loss anemia because the clinical indicators support it
Correct Answer: C 🗳️
Explanation: Only visible for PracticeVCE members. You can sign-up / login (it's free).
A patient with a history of heart failure is admitted with severe dyspnea and bilateral lower-extremity edema.
BNP is 1,000 pg/mL and echocardiography shows an ejection fraction of 25% with left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Which diagnosis should the CDI specialist consider when constructing a clinically supported clarification query?
- A. Combined systolic and diastolic heart failure
- B. Acute on chronic systolic heart failure
- C. Chronic systolic heart failure
- D. Acute on chronic diastolic heart failure
Correct Answer: B 🗳️
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