Prepare for the CDEO® exam

Take the self-paced CDEO certification training course and be three times more likely to pass on your first attempt.

Your success as a CDEO is dependent on your ability to prioritize the information presented to you and organize it in ways that allow you to problem-solve efficiently. The following preparation tips will help ensure that you’re fully prepared.

Ensure you have mastered the essentials

Clinical documentation improvement involves compliance with documentation requirements and effective communication with providers to improve documentation. To be a CDEO candidate, you should undergo certification training and/or have experience in clinical documentation improvement. You also must be able to demonstrate an understanding of the proper application of CPT®, ICD-10-CM, and HCPCS Level II codes, and quality measures.

Please be aware that this is a difficult, high-level examination and not intended for individuals with a limited clinical documentation improvement background.

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Train with AAPC’s world-class curriculum

The surest way to prepare for the CDEO exam is to train with AAPC by enrolling in the self-paced CDEO Preparation Course. Designed by the creators of the exam, this course will ensure you receive an effective and comprehensive education covering proper use of all medical code sets you'll encounter on the exam.

Highly recommended: A minimum of two years of coding or auditing experience and a coding certification.

Designed for the experienced coder or auditor, AAPC's CDEO online training course covers the benefits of clinical documentation improvement (CDI) programs, documentation requirements, quality measures, payment methodologies, and clinical conditions including common signs and symptoms, typical treatment, documentation tips and coding concepts.

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Test your knowledge before the exam

Diagnose your strengths and weaknesses. We highly recommend that you take one of the 50-question online practice exams to help you become familiar with the format and time constraints of the real test. Our practice tests accurately mirror the exam to ensure you are fully prepared on exam day.

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Diagnose and prioritize your focus areas

After you take your first practice exam, you’ll realize not all areas of CDEO curriculum require equal study time. Based on your diagnostic results and practice performance, we’ll recommend lessons and exercises at just the right level. Follow these recommendations to make the most of your practice time.

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Review the study guide and test-taking techniques

The CDEO study guide reviews each section of the CDEO exam in detail and provides practical examples, sample questions, and test-taking techniques. If you have documentation experience or have successfully completed documentation training, this study guide will optimize exam preparation.

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