CPCA HCPCS Coding for Injectables 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient receives 750 mg of vancomycin IV. The HCPCS code J3370 is billed per 500 mg. How many units should be reported?
- 1 unit
- 1.5 units
- 2 units (Correct answer)
- 3 units
Correct answer: 2 units
You must round up to the next whole unit, so 750 mg divided by 500 mg/unit requires 2 units to be reported.
Question 2: Which HCPCS Level II code is used for methylprednisolone sodium succinate injections?
- J1020
- J2920 (Correct answer)
- J1030
- J2930
Correct answer: J2920
J2920 is the HCPCS code for methylprednisolone sodium succinate, 40 mg per unit.
Question 3: When billing for an injectable drug that has no specific HCPCS code, which code should be used?
- J9999
- J3490 (Correct answer)
- J3590
- A9999
Correct answer: J3490
J3490 (Unclassified drugs) is used for injectable drugs that do not have a specific HCPCS code assigned.
Question 4: A patient receives a 1 mg injection of glucagon HCl. Which HCPCS code applies?
- J1610
- J1620 (Correct answer)
- J1630
- J1640
Correct answer: J1620
J1620 is the HCPCS code for glucagon HCl per 1 mg.
Question 5: Which modifier is appended to an HCPCS injectable code to indicate the drug was administered in a physician's office?
- -JW
- -JZ
- -SB
- No modifier is required (Correct answer)
Correct answer: No modifier is required
No specific modifier is required solely to indicate office-based administration of an injectable drug.
Question 6: Modifier JW is used in conjunction with HCPCS injectable codes to report:
- Drug wastage from a single-dose vial (Correct answer)
- An unlisted drug administration route
- A drug given by a non-physician provider
- A compounded injectable drug
Correct answer: Drug wastage from a single-dose vial
Modifier JW identifies the amount of drug discarded from a single-dose vial or package that cannot be reused.
Question 7: For HCPCS coding purposes, which of the following best describes a 'not otherwise classified' (NOC) injectable drug code?
- A code for experimental drugs only
- A temporary code pending FDA approval
- A code used when no specific HCPCS code exists for the drug (Correct answer)
- A code for compounded medications exclusively
Correct answer: A code used when no specific HCPCS code exists for the drug
NOC codes like J3490 and J3590 are used when the specific injectable drug does not have its own HCPCS code.
CPCA HCPCS Coding for Injectables 2
A patient receives 750 mg of vancomycin IV.
The HCPCS code J3370 is billed per 500 mg.
How many units should be reported?