AAPC - American Academy of Professional Coders Integumentary System Procedures Questions and Answers

Question 1

A patient undergoes a full-thickness excisional biopsy of a 1.2 cm lesion on the neck.
The operative report states that the surgeon performed a layered closure of the 1.5 cm resulting defect.
How should this be coded?

Accepted Answer

Code for the excisional biopsy and an intermediate repair.

Answer

Code for the excisional biopsy only, as simple closure is included.

Answer

Code for the excisional biopsy and a simple repair.

Answer

Code for a punch biopsy and a layered closure.

Question 2

A physician performs Mohs micrographic surgery on a patient's nose for a recurrent basal cell carcinoma. The first stage involves the removal of 5 tissue blocks. The second stage involves the removal of 3 additional tissue blocks. Which CPT codes should be reported for this procedure?

Accepted Answer

17311, 17312

Answer

17313, 17314

Answer

17311, 17312, 17315

Answer

17311 x 2

Question 3

A patient has a 4.5 cm laceration on the trunk and a 3.2 cm laceration on the arm. Both wounds required a layered closure after extensive cleaning due to heavy contamination with particulate matter. How would you code the repairs?

Accepted Answer

Report one intermediate repair code, summing the lengths of both lacerations because they are in the same anatomical group and of the same complexity.

Answer

Report two separate intermediate repair codes based on their individual lengths and locations.

Answer

Report one simple repair code for the total length of both lacerations.

Answer

Report one complex repair code because of the heavy contamination.

Question 4

Which of the following procedures is defined as the full-thickness removal of a lesion, including margins, where the code selection is based on the lesion's diameter plus the narrowest margins?

Accepted Answer

Excision

Answer

Tangential biopsy

Answer

Shave removal

Answer

Destruction

Question 5

A surgeon performs a debridement of a 30 sq cm wound on a patient's leg. The debridement extends down to and includes the muscle tissue. What are the correct CPT codes for this service?

Accepted Answer

11043, 11046

Answer

11042, 11045

Answer

11044, 11047

Answer

11043

Question 6

A complex repair is performed on a 3.5 cm wound on the cheek. According to CPT guidelines, which of the following would NOT be a required component to justify coding a complex repair?

Accepted Answer

Layered closure

Answer

Extensive undermining

Answer

Debridement of wound edges

Answer

Involvement of the vermilion border