The attending physician documents “severe protein-calorie malnutrition.” The dietitian's assessment documents normal nutritional intake, stable body weight, no fat loss, and no muscle wasting. What should the CDI specialist do?
A.
Accept the diagnosis because it was documented by the physician
This is an appropriate clinical validation query because the provider has documented a diagnosis while the available clinical information appears inconsistent with that diagnosis.
The CDI specialist should not automatically accept every documented diagnosis when substantial contradictory clinical evidence exists. Conversely, CDI cannot independently delete the physician's diagnosis or replace the physician's clinical judgment.
The query should objectively identify the documented severe malnutrition and relevant contradictory findings—for example, stable weight, adequate nutritional intake, and absence of documented muscle or fat loss—and ask the provider to clarify whether severe malnutrition remains clinically appropriate, whether another nutritional condition better describes the patient, whether the diagnosis has been ruled out, or whether additional clinical reasoning supports it.
The query must remain neutral and should not mention the MCC status or potential reimbursement effect of severe malnutrition.
The August 2026 ACDIS/AHIMA compliant-query guidance supersedes previous editions and is the current foundational standard for compliant documentation clarification.
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