CCDM Medical Coding 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which ICD-10-CM code category is used to classify adverse effects of drugs when the drug was correctly administered?
- T36-T50 with 5th character '5' (Correct answer)
- T36-T50 with 5th character '1'
- T36-T50 with 5th character '4'
- T36-T50 with 5th character '2'
Correct answer: T36-T50 with 5th character '5'
In ICD-10-CM, adverse effects (correctly prescribed and administered drugs) use the 5th character '5' in the T36-T50 range.
Question 2: In clinical data management, why is standardized medical coding critical for clinical trial databases?
- It enables consistent aggregate analysis and cross-study comparison (Correct answer)
- It reduces the need for query resolution
- It eliminates the need for narrative adverse event descriptions
- It replaces the requirement for SAE reporting
Correct answer: It enables consistent aggregate analysis and cross-study comparison
Standardized coding ensures that similar events are grouped consistently, enabling meaningful safety analyses and cross-study comparisons.
Question 3: Which MedDRA hierarchy level is most granular and used to code individual adverse events?
- Lowest Level Term (LLT) (Correct answer)
- Preferred Term (PT)
- High Level Term (HLT)
- System Organ Class (SOC)
Correct answer: Lowest Level Term (LLT)
The LLT is the most granular MedDRA term and directly maps to how a verbatim term is reported, though PTs are used for analysis.
Question 4: A patient is enrolled in a trial and experiences 'upset stomach' as an adverse event. The coder maps this to the MedDRA PT 'Nausea.' This verbatim-to-code mapping is stored in a:
- Coding dictionary alias file
- Coding bridge / synonym list (Correct answer)
- SAE narrative
- Protocol deviation log
Correct answer: Coding bridge / synonym list
A coding bridge or synonym list (also called a company dictionary) stores verbatim-to-preferred-term mappings to ensure consistency across studies.
Question 5: What CPT code range covers Evaluation and Management (E/M) services for outpatient office visits?
- 99202-99215 (Correct answer)
- 99221-99223
- 99281-99285
- 99241-99245
Correct answer: 99202-99215
CPT codes 99202-99215 cover new (99202-99205) and established (99211-99215) patient office/outpatient E/M visits.
Question 6: In ICD-10-PCS, the root operation 'Excision' differs from 'Resection' in that Excision:
- Removes only part of a body part without replacement (Correct answer)
- Removes the entire body part
- Removes a foreign object
- Involves cutting without removing tissue
Correct answer: Removes only part of a body part without replacement
Excision (B) cuts out a portion of a body part, whereas Resection (T) cuts out all of a body part.
Question 7: Which coding system is primarily used to code diagnoses and conditions in US inpatient and outpatient claims?
- ICD-10-CM (Correct answer)
- ICD-10-PCS
- CPT-4
- HCPCS Level II
Correct answer: ICD-10-CM
ICD-10-CM (Clinical Modification) is the US standard for coding diagnoses on both inpatient and outpatient claims.
CCDM Medical Coding 2
Which ICD-10-CM code category is used to classify adverse effects of drugs when the drug was correctly administered?