Free ACDIS CCDS Exam Prep
ACDIS Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist (CCDS)
Prepare for the ACDIS CCDS exam without spending hundreds on expensive prep courses. Free study guides, practice questions, flashcards, and related exam resources.
Quick Facts
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ACDIS ACDIS Clinical Documentation Integrity License: Complete Roadmap
Follow this path to organize your licensing and exam preparation
Phase 1: Inpatient Prospective Payment & Regulatory FundamentalsYou are here
Master MS-DRG logic, relative weights, CC/MCC capture rules, Present on Admission (POA) indicators, HAC payment provisions, and the Two-Midnight admission policy.
Phase 2: Inpatient Clinical Pathophysiology & Diagnostic Criteria
Deep dive into diagnostic thresholds and clinical indicators for sepsis (Sepsis-2 vs Sepsis-3), acute respiratory failure, acute kidney injury, encephalopathy, malnutrition, and heart failure.
Phase 3: Compliant Query Practice & Medical Record Integrity
Study ACDIS/AHIMA query standards, multiple-choice query construction, avoiding leading questions, provider escalation pathways, and UHDDS documentation guidelines.
Phase 4: Official Coding Guidelines, Quality Metrics & Practice Exams
Review ICD-10-CM/PCS conventions, AHRQ Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs), APR-DRG SOI/ROM subclasses, and complete full-length timed practice exams.
Can You Take the ACDIS CCDS Exam?
Check if you meet the basic eligibility requirements
- •Meet one of the three published ACDIS CCDS education-and-experience pathways before applying
- •Applications may be audited to verify work history, education, credentials, and licensure
- •Submit the ACDIS examination application with the examination fee
- •Sit at a Prometric testing center or via Prometric remote proctoring within the 90-day eligibility window
- •Recertify every 2 years with 30 continuing education units (CEUs)
ACDIS CCDS Quick Facts
Retake Policy
Candidates who do not pass must wait 90 days before retaking. The first retake fee is $150; subsequent attempts are charged at the full examination fee.
Free ACDIS CCDS Prep Tools
147+ Practice Questions
Practice by topic with detailed answer explanations
AI Tutor Explains Mistakes
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Independent Study Resources
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What You'll Study
21 chapters covering the exam topics in this guide
Introduction & Exam Overview
4 sections
IPPS Foundations
3 sections
Severity, CMI, Medical Necessity, and Oversight
4 sections
Nervous and Respiratory System CDI
3 sections
Circulatory, Digestive, Hepatobiliary, Musculoskeletal, and Skin CDI
3 sections
Endocrine, Nutrition, Kidney, and Hematologic CDI
4 sections
Infectious Disease, Other MDCs, and Clinical Indicator Tools
3 sections
Health Record Elements and Query Triggers
4 sections
Query Timing, Verbal Queries, Formats, and Clinical Indicators
4 sections
Compliant Query Practice and Clinical Validation
3 sections
CDI Program Metrics
3 sections
Physician Metrics, PEPPER, Forecasting, and Public Data
2 sections
CDI Roles, Coder Collaboration, and Physician Education
3 sections
Provider Communication and DRG Reconciliation
2 sections
Official Guidelines, Principal Diagnosis, and Secondary Diagnosis
3 sections
Sequencing, Coding Conventions, and POA Indicators
3 sections
Hospital-Acquired Conditions, Disposition, and ICD-10-PCS Essentials
2 sections
Ethics, Privacy, and Leading Queries as Compliance Failures
3 sections
DRG Creep, OIG Oversight, PEPPER, and the False Claims Act
2 sections
Mortality Index, Observed-to-Expected Ratios, and Quality Data Sources
3 sections
CMS Quality Programs, PSIs, and Infection versus Complication Codes
3 sections
ACDIS CCDS Exam Details
ACDIS Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist (CCDS)
Administered by Association of Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialists (ACDIS)
Exam Content Breakdown
Based on the official Association of Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialists (ACDIS) content outline
IPPS updates, MS-DRGs, documentation and reimbursement, setting-specific medical necessity, the Two-Midnight rule, principal diagnosis relationships, CC/MCC capture, case-mix index, contractors, and denial risk
Clinical indicators for sepsis, respiratory failure, AKI, malnutrition, encephalopathy, heart failure and the drugs that support them
Medical-record elements and provider roles, clarification triggers, query types and formats, clinical indicators, compliant practice, and unsupported diagnoses
CDI program, physician, and specialist metrics; trends and forecasting; spreadsheets and financial data; public reporting; and PEPPER
Education tools and presentations, nonconfrontational communication, CDI and coder roles, DRG reconciliation, and verbal versus written communication
ICD-10-CM/PCS Official Guidelines, coding conventions and sequencing rules
ACDIS Code of Ethics, compliant query practice, audit and denial defence
PSI/HAC quality measures, risk adjustment, SOI/ROM, mortality and readmission indices
What's Included
21 Chapters
Complete exam coverage
Practice Quizzes
With detailed explanations
Free to Start
No credit card required
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What's Next After the ACDIS CCDS?
After passing the ACDIS CCDS, you can pursue these career paths
AHIMA CCS
Pair CCDS with the Certified Coding Specialist credential to demonstrate comprehensive inpatient and outpatient facility coding mastery.
AHIMA CDIP
Earn the Certified Documentation Integrity Practitioner credential to broaden leadership across health information integrity programs.
AHIMA RHIA
Advance into enterprise revenue cycle administration and health data governance with the Registered Health Information Administrator credential.
ACDIS CCDS Exam FAQ
Official Association of Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialists (ACDIS) Resources
Verify information with these official sources
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