A compliant physician query must:

A compliant query is designed to clarify the record without steering the provider to a predetermined answer. ACDIS-aligned standards stress two essentials: neutrality (non-leading phrasing) and clinical support (relevant indicators). Clinical indicators might include vitals, labs, imaging, medications, documented symptoms, problem list history, or assessment findings that create the need for clarification. The query should present the inconsistency or ambiguity, reference the supporting facts, and offer clinically reasonable answer choices including “other” and “unable to determine” when appropriate. This structure protects documentation integrity and reduces regulatory risk, because leading queries can be interpreted as directing documentation for payment rather than accuracy. Verbal-only queries are not sufficient when they affect coding; CDI programs typically require a documented query trail per policy. Purely open-ended questions without context are also problematic because they do not show why clarification is needed and may not be actionable. Proper non-leading, indicator-supported queries improve accuracy of diagnosis specificity, severity capture, and defensibility in audits while preserving provider autonomy.