A Note from the CCDS Coordinator: Exam prep tips from our education director

by Penny Richards

As the coordinator for the Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist (CCDS) exam program, lots of folks ask me for CCDS exam prep tips. But I’m not a CDI professional—I don’t even play one on television—so I asked our CDI Education Director and Boot Camp instructor, Laurie Prescott, RN, MSN, CCDS, CDIP, CRC, for her expert advice.

“Some of getting ready for the exam is mental,” she told me. “If you’ve been working as a clinical documentation specialist for the minimum two years required [to sit for the exam], and you understand the role, you likely have the skills you need to pass.”

Prescott also provided me with a list of great tips that I thought I’d share with you:

1. Use the CCDS Exam Study Guide, which comes with an online practice test.
2. If you are an ACDIS member, take advantage of the great information on the website and the ACDIS Forum to talk to other members about their preparation and exam experiences.
3. Read the 2016 ACDIS/AHIMA Query Practice Brief to help you understand compliant query practices.
4. You must know how to use the DRG Expert. If you are encoder dependent and don’t know how to use the book, you’re going to have a difficult time. Find someone who can show you how to use the book, perhaps a member of your CDI or coding department. It’s not easily self-taught.
5. Read the Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting and be aware of the importance of the AHA’s Coding Clinic for ICD-10-CM/PCS. I am always amazed by the number of people working in CDI who have never picked up a coding book or read coding guidelines.
6. Understand sequencing rules.
7. A CDI Boot Camp would be helpful if you have the time and resources.
8. Think about how you perform the role of CDI, how you review a record, and prioritize patient care.
9. Metrics and analytics measure department success and some CDI specialists may not be familiar with this aspect of the program. Sit with your manager and ask him or her how to develop and interpret the data. Learn how to define and calculate the case mix index. Know what a query response rate is.
10. Think about areas you may not have a lot of experience in, such as a specific clinical subject, procedures, etc., and study up on this area. Remember, this exam tests the overall function of CDI practice, meaning it may cover information not currently pertinent to your role due to the limitations of your facility.
11. Finally, while it’s important to study and prepare, don’t try to do it all the night before.  Eat a good dinner and get a solid night of sleep.

Thank you, Laurie, for providing these tips! For more information on CCDS certification, click here.