Final answer:
The answer is A. Query. A query is used in clinical documentation integrity for communication between professionals and providers to request additional information or corrections, which supports both patient care and accurate billing.
Step-by-step explanation:
A query is a communication tool used during clinical documentation integrity to communicate between a clinical documentation integrity professional and the provider. The correct answer is A. Query. A query is typically used to clarify documentation, to request additional information, or to suggest a documentation correction or addition that would result in a more accurate depiction of the patient's medical situation and care. This helps in ensuring that health records are both accurate and comprehensive, contributing to better patient care and accurate billing.
The privacy of electronic health records is a significant concern, and sharing of digital records among health providers is one method proposed to improve the quality and reduce the cost of health care in the U.S. It is important that such exchanges of sensitive data be done securely to protect patient privacy.