CPC AAPC EXAM | ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND
VERIFIED ANSWERS NEW 2026-2027 UPDATE|PASS
GUARANTEE|GRADED A+
Question 1
Patient has basal cell carcinoma on his upper back. A map was prepared to correspond to
the area of skin where the excisions of the tumor will be performed using Mohs
micrographic surgery technique. There were three tissue blocks that were prepared for
cryostat, sectioned, and removed in the first stage. Then a second stage had six tissue
blocks which were also cut and stained for microscopic examination. The entire base and
margins of the excised pieces of tissue were examined by the surgeon. No tumor was
identified after the final stage of the microscopically controlled surgery. What procedure
codes are reported?
A. 17313, 17314, 17314
B. 17313, 17315
C. 17260, 17313, 17314
D. 17313,17314, 17315
CORRECT ANSWER
Patient is having Mohs Micrographic Surgery being performed only, eliminating multiple
choice answer C. Mohs codes are based on the anatomic grouping by code, the number of
stages taken, and number of blocks per stage. The surgery was on the back reporting code
17313 for stage 1 with three blocks, add-on code 17314 is for stage 2 with five blocks, and
add-on code 17315 is for the sixth block in stage 2. Answer D
Question 2
45 year-old male is in outpatient surgery to excise a basal cell carcinoma of the right nose
and have reconstruction with an advancement flap. The 1.2 cm lesion with an excised
diameter of 1.5 cm was excised with a 15-blade scalpel down to the level of the
subcutaneous tissue, totaling a primary defect of 1.8 cm. Electrocautery was used for
hemostasis. An adjacent tissue transfer of 3 sq cm was taken from the nasolabial fold and
was advanced into the primary defect. Which CPT® code(s) is (are) reported?
1
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,A. 14060
B. 11642, 14060
C. 11642, 15115
D. 15574
CORRECT ANSWER
An adjacent tissue transfer (advancement flap) was used to repair a defect on the nose due
to an excision of a malignant lesion, eliminating multiple choice answers C and D. The
section guidelines in the CPT® codebook for Adjacent Tissue or Rearrangement indicate that
the excision of a benign lesion (11400-11446) or a malignant lesion (11600-11646) is
included in codes for adjacent tissue transfer (14000-14302), and are not separately
reported. This eliminates multiple choice answer B. Answer A
Question 3
24 year-old patient had an abscess by her vulva which burst. She has developed a soft
tissue infection caused by gas gangrene. The area was debrided of necrotic infected tissue.
All of the pus was removed and irrigation was performed with a liter of saline until clear
and clean. The infected area was completely drained and the wound was packed gently
with sterile saline moistened gauze and pads were placed on top of this. The correct CPT®
code is:
A. 56405
B. 10061
C. 11004
D. 11042
CORRECT ANSWER
The abscess had already burst, with no need to perform an incision to open it, eliminating
multiple choice answers A and B. The difference between multiple choice answers C and D, is
that the patient is having the debridement performed due to a soft tissue infection in the
perineum area. The correct code is 11004 for debridement of necrotized infected tissue on
the external genitalia. Answer C
2
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, Question 4
76 year-old female had a recent mammographic and ultrasound abnormality in the 6
o'clock position of the left breast. She underwent core biopsies which showed the
presence of a papilloma. The plan now is for needle localization with excisional biopsy to
rule out occult malignancy. After undergoing preoperative needle localization with
hookwire needle injection with methylene blue, the patient was brought to the operating
room and was placed on the operating room table in the supine position where she
underwent laryngeal mask airway (LMA) anesthesia. The left breast was prepped and
draped in a sterile fashion. A radial incision was then made in the 6 o'clock position of the
left breast corresponding to the tip of the needle localizing wire. Using blunt and sharp
dissection, we performed a generous excisional biopsy around the needle localizing wire
including all of the methylene blue-stained tissues. The specimen was
CORRECT ANSWER
You can narrow your choices down by the diagnosis. The beginning of the operative note
documents that core biopsies showed "papilloma". In the ICD-10-CM Alphabetic Index,
look for Papilloma-see also Neoplasm, benign, by site. Go to the Table of Neoplasms and
look for Neoplasm, neoplastic/breast/Benign (column) refers you to code D24.-. Turn to
the Tabular List to complete the code, D24.2.
Procedure code 19125 is correct because preoperative placement of radiologic marker
(preoperative needle localization with hookwire needle injection with methylene blue) was
used to excise the lesion. Answer D
Question 5
The patient is a 66 year-old female who presents with Dupuytren's disease in the right
palm and ring finger. This results in a contracture of the ring digit MP joint. She is having a
subtotal palmar fasciectomy for Dupuytren's disease right ring digit and palm. An extensile
Brunner incision was then made beginning in the proximal palm and extending to the ring
finger PIP crease. This exposed a large pretendinous cord arising from the palmar fascia
extending distally over the flexor tendons of the ring finger. The fascial attachments to the
flexor tendon sheath were released. At the level of the metacarpophalangeal crease, one
band arose from the central pretendinous cord-one coursing toward the middle finger. The
digital nerve was identified, and this diseased fascia was also excised. What procedure
code(s) is (are) used?
3
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VERIFIED ANSWERS NEW 2026-2027 UPDATE|PASS
GUARANTEE|GRADED A+
Question 1
Patient has basal cell carcinoma on his upper back. A map was prepared to correspond to
the area of skin where the excisions of the tumor will be performed using Mohs
micrographic surgery technique. There were three tissue blocks that were prepared for
cryostat, sectioned, and removed in the first stage. Then a second stage had six tissue
blocks which were also cut and stained for microscopic examination. The entire base and
margins of the excised pieces of tissue were examined by the surgeon. No tumor was
identified after the final stage of the microscopically controlled surgery. What procedure
codes are reported?
A. 17313, 17314, 17314
B. 17313, 17315
C. 17260, 17313, 17314
D. 17313,17314, 17315
CORRECT ANSWER
Patient is having Mohs Micrographic Surgery being performed only, eliminating multiple
choice answer C. Mohs codes are based on the anatomic grouping by code, the number of
stages taken, and number of blocks per stage. The surgery was on the back reporting code
17313 for stage 1 with three blocks, add-on code 17314 is for stage 2 with five blocks, and
add-on code 17315 is for the sixth block in stage 2. Answer D
Question 2
45 year-old male is in outpatient surgery to excise a basal cell carcinoma of the right nose
and have reconstruction with an advancement flap. The 1.2 cm lesion with an excised
diameter of 1.5 cm was excised with a 15-blade scalpel down to the level of the
subcutaneous tissue, totaling a primary defect of 1.8 cm. Electrocautery was used for
hemostasis. An adjacent tissue transfer of 3 sq cm was taken from the nasolabial fold and
was advanced into the primary defect. Which CPT® code(s) is (are) reported?
1
@https://www.stuvia.com/user/thestudyvault
,A. 14060
B. 11642, 14060
C. 11642, 15115
D. 15574
CORRECT ANSWER
An adjacent tissue transfer (advancement flap) was used to repair a defect on the nose due
to an excision of a malignant lesion, eliminating multiple choice answers C and D. The
section guidelines in the CPT® codebook for Adjacent Tissue or Rearrangement indicate that
the excision of a benign lesion (11400-11446) or a malignant lesion (11600-11646) is
included in codes for adjacent tissue transfer (14000-14302), and are not separately
reported. This eliminates multiple choice answer B. Answer A
Question 3
24 year-old patient had an abscess by her vulva which burst. She has developed a soft
tissue infection caused by gas gangrene. The area was debrided of necrotic infected tissue.
All of the pus was removed and irrigation was performed with a liter of saline until clear
and clean. The infected area was completely drained and the wound was packed gently
with sterile saline moistened gauze and pads were placed on top of this. The correct CPT®
code is:
A. 56405
B. 10061
C. 11004
D. 11042
CORRECT ANSWER
The abscess had already burst, with no need to perform an incision to open it, eliminating
multiple choice answers A and B. The difference between multiple choice answers C and D, is
that the patient is having the debridement performed due to a soft tissue infection in the
perineum area. The correct code is 11004 for debridement of necrotized infected tissue on
the external genitalia. Answer C
2
@https://www.stuvia.com/user/thestudyvault
, Question 4
76 year-old female had a recent mammographic and ultrasound abnormality in the 6
o'clock position of the left breast. She underwent core biopsies which showed the
presence of a papilloma. The plan now is for needle localization with excisional biopsy to
rule out occult malignancy. After undergoing preoperative needle localization with
hookwire needle injection with methylene blue, the patient was brought to the operating
room and was placed on the operating room table in the supine position where she
underwent laryngeal mask airway (LMA) anesthesia. The left breast was prepped and
draped in a sterile fashion. A radial incision was then made in the 6 o'clock position of the
left breast corresponding to the tip of the needle localizing wire. Using blunt and sharp
dissection, we performed a generous excisional biopsy around the needle localizing wire
including all of the methylene blue-stained tissues. The specimen was
CORRECT ANSWER
You can narrow your choices down by the diagnosis. The beginning of the operative note
documents that core biopsies showed "papilloma". In the ICD-10-CM Alphabetic Index,
look for Papilloma-see also Neoplasm, benign, by site. Go to the Table of Neoplasms and
look for Neoplasm, neoplastic/breast/Benign (column) refers you to code D24.-. Turn to
the Tabular List to complete the code, D24.2.
Procedure code 19125 is correct because preoperative placement of radiologic marker
(preoperative needle localization with hookwire needle injection with methylene blue) was
used to excise the lesion. Answer D
Question 5
The patient is a 66 year-old female who presents with Dupuytren's disease in the right
palm and ring finger. This results in a contracture of the ring digit MP joint. She is having a
subtotal palmar fasciectomy for Dupuytren's disease right ring digit and palm. An extensile
Brunner incision was then made beginning in the proximal palm and extending to the ring
finger PIP crease. This exposed a large pretendinous cord arising from the palmar fascia
extending distally over the flexor tendons of the ring finger. The fascial attachments to the
flexor tendon sheath were released. At the level of the metacarpophalangeal crease, one
band arose from the central pretendinous cord-one coursing toward the middle finger. The
digital nerve was identified, and this diseased fascia was also excised. What procedure
code(s) is (are) used?
3
@https://www.stuvia.com/user/thestudyvault
