CPC - Certified Professional Coder Integumentary System Procedures Questions and Answers

Question 1

A patient undergoes surgical debridement of a 35 sq cm wound on the lower back.
The debridement is carried down to, but not including, the fascia.
The documentation states that necrotic subcutaneous tissue was removed.
How should this service be coded?

Accepted Answer

CPT® 11042 for the first 20 sq cm and 11045 for the additional 15 sq cm.

Answer

CPT® 11043 for the first 20 sq cm and 11046 for the additional 15 sq cm.

Answer

CPT® 97597 for the first 20 sq cm and 97598 for the additional 15 sq cm.

Answer

CPT® 11042 for the entire 35 sq cm area.

Question 2

A dermatologist performs three separate punch biopsies on a patient during the same office visit: one on the arm, one on the back, and one on the chest. How would these procedures be reported?

Accepted Answer

11104, 11105, 11105

Answer

11104 x 3

Answer

11104, 11104-59, 11104-59

Answer

11106, 11107 x 2

Question 3

A surgeon excises a malignant lesion from a patient's trunk. The lesion itself measures 1.5 cm in diameter. The surgeon takes 0.5 cm margins on all sides. What is the correct CPT® code for this procedure?

Accepted Answer

11603

Answer

11602

Answer

11402

Answer

11601

Question 4

A patient presents to the emergency department with two lacerations on their right leg. The physician performs a two-layer closure on a 4.0 cm laceration and a single-layer closure on a 2.0 cm laceration. Both required extensive cleaning. Which of the following is the correct coding?

Accepted Answer

12032 for the intermediate repair and 12001-59 for the simple repair.

Answer

12034 for the combined length of both lacerations.

Answer

13121

Answer

12032

Question 5

Which of the following is bundled into the Mohs micrographic surgery codes (17311-17315) and should NOT be reported separately by the Mohs surgeon?

Accepted Answer

Pathologic examination of the tissue blocks.

Answer

Complex repair of the surgical defect.

Answer

Adjacent tissue transfer to close the defect.

Answer

A skin biopsy of a separate, unrelated lesion.

Question 6

A surgeon removes a 15 sq cm carcinoma from a patient's scalp, resulting in a 15 sq cm surgical defect. To close the defect, the surgeon creates an adjacent tissue transfer (local flap). How is the code for the adjacent tissue transfer selected?

Accepted Answer

Based on the combined size of the primary defect and the secondary defect created to mobilize the flap.

Answer

Based on the size of the flap created.

Answer

Based on the size of the primary defect (15 sq cm).

Answer

Based on the length of the incision required to create the flap.

A patient undergoes surgical debridement of a 35 sq cm wound on the lower back.The debridement is carried down to, but not including, the fascia.The documentation states that necrotic subcutaneous tissue was removed.How should this service be coded?

A patient undergoes surgical debridement of a 35 sq cm wound on the lower back.
The debridement is carried down to, but not including, the fascia.
The documentation states that necrotic subcutaneous tissue was removed.
How should this service be coded?