Free Certified Professional Coder Questions and Answers

Question 1

Third-degree burns totaling 18 sq cm are being treated on a patient's left arm and leg. Three incisions are made with a #11 scalpel after the burns have been scrubbed clean and given anesthesia. After that, sterile gauze is used to redress the burns.
What CPT code(s) ought to the doctor use?

Accepted Answer

16035, 16036 x2

Answer

The patient has third-degree burns totaling 18 sq cm on the left arm and leg, with three incisions made. CPT code 16035 is for escharotomy, initial incision, which covers the first incision. CPT code 16036 is for each additional escharotomy incision. Since there are three incisions total, one is covered by 16035, and the remaining two are coded with 16036 x2.

Question 2

A 35-year-old man who has internal hemorrhoids visits the doctor to have the hemorrhoids removed. Through an anoscope, the ligator and alligator forceps have been inserted. The doctor locates the largest hemorrhage and uses a rubber band to ligate it at the base.
Which CPT code is appropriate to use?

Accepted Answer

46221

Answer

CPT code 46221 specifically describes 'Hemorrhoidectomy, internal, by rubber band ligation(s); one or more hemorrhoids.' The scenario details the use of a ligator and alligator forceps to ligate the largest hemorrhage with a rubber band, which perfectly matches this code. This code covers the procedure regardless of the number of hemorrhoids ligated in a single session.

Question 3

To alter refractive error, a procedure is carried out in which corneal tissue from a donor is frozen, reshaped, and implanted into the recipient's anterior corneal stroma.
This describes what CPT code?

Accepted Answer

65765

Answer

The description 'corneal tissue from a donor is frozen, reshaped, and implanted into the recipient's anterior corneal stroma to alter refractive error' precisely matches the definition of CPT code 65765. This code is for 'Keratomileusis; allogenic, frozen tissue.' This procedure involves reshaping donor corneal tissue and implanting it to correct refractive errors.

Question 4

Due to a ruptured tubal pregnancy, a pregnant woman who is 17 weeks along is hurried into the operating room. She experiences an urgent laparoscopic tubal ligation that necessitates anesthesia because she is hemorrhaging severely.
What CPT code(s) needs to be used by the doctor?

Accepted Answer

00880-P5, 99140

Answer

The patient is 17 weeks pregnant with a ruptured tubal pregnancy requiring emergency laparoscopic tubal ligation due to severe hemorrhage. CPT code 00880 is for anesthesia for procedures on the female genital system. The P5 modifier indicates a moribund patient, appropriate for severe hemorrhage, and 99140 is used for qualifying circumstances for anesthesia, specifically for emergency procedures.

Question 5

A manometric study is carried out because there may be a gastric outlet obstruction. The doctor uses nuclear medicine to track how long it takes food to move through the patient's stomach, how long it takes for the stomach to empty completely into the small intestine, and how quickly it empties.
What CPT code(s) ought to be applied?

Accepted Answer

91020

Answer

CPT code 91020 specifically describes a 'Gastric emptying study, solid, with small bowel transit, with drug administration for acceleration or deceleration when performed.' This code accurately reflects the nuclear medicine study performed to track food movement, stomach emptying time, and emptying speed, which are all components of a gastric emptying study. The other options are incorrect because 91010 is for esophageal motility, 91013 is an add-on for esophageal pH monitoring, and 91022 is for duodenal motility, none of which match the described gastric emptying study.

CPC - Certified Professional Coder Practice Test

CPC - Certified Professional Coder Practice Test

Free Certified Professional Coder Questions and Answers