According to the AHIMA-ACDIS Practice Brief, a query escalation policy should describe how to handle situations in which an answer is not received, an inappropriate answer or comment is provided, etc. The escalation policy should address when the issue is brought to the physician advisor, the department director, or administration with defined actions as to the responsibilities at each level. The policies should reflect a method of response that can realistically occur for the organization1. In this case, since the attending physician has not responded to the query in an appropriate time frame, the CDIP should escalate the issue to the medical staff leadership, such as the chief medical officer, the department chair, or the physician advisor, who can facilitate communication and education with the attending physician and ensure documentation integrity and compliance1.

References:

Guidelines for Achieving a Compliant Query Practice (2019 Update) - AHIMA1