What policies should query professionals follow?

Query professionals should follow their healthcare entity’s internal policies related to querying, as they may vary depending on the organization’s size, structure, scope, and goals. The internal policies should be based on industry best practices and standards, such as those provided by AHIMA and ACDIS, as well as applicable laws and regulations, such as those from CMS and OIG. However, AHIMA’s and CMS’s policies are not binding for all healthcare entities, and they may not address all the specific situations and challenges that query professionals may encounter. Therefore, query professionals should be familiar with their own healthcare entity’s policies and procedures for querying, such as the query format, content, timing, delivery method, escalation process, retention, and audit. The other options are incorrect because they do not reflect the diversity and complexity of query policies across different healthcare entities.