2024/2025 nCCS nEXAM n| nCERTIFIED nCODING
nSPECIALIST nEXAM n| n|LATEST nVERSIONS nAND
nPRACTICE nQUESTIONS nAND nCORRECT nDETAILED
nANSWERS nwith nrationales n| nALREADY nGRADED nA+
A n55-year-old nclient nhas nhypertensive nheart ndisease nwith ncongestive nheart nfailure.
Whatncode nwould nbe nassigned?
n
a. I15.8, nOther nsecondary nhypertension
b. I11.0, nHypertensive nheart ndisease nwith nheart nfailure nand nI50.9, nHeart
failure,nunspecified
n
c. I50.9, nHeart nfailure, nunspecified nand nI15.0, nRenovascular nhypertension
d. N18.6, nEnd nstage nrenal ndisease n
RIGHT nANS n:->> nb. nI11.0, nHypertensive nheart ndiseasenwith nheart nfailure
and nI50.9, nHeart nfailure, nunspecified
n
Rationale n:->> nThere nis na ncause nand neffect nrelationship nestablished nbetween nthe
n hypertension nand nthe ncongestive nheart nfailure. nA nseparate ncode nfor nthe ncongestive
heart nfailure nis nassignednbased non nthe n"code nalso" nnote n(HHS n2017, nSection
n
n I.C.9.a., n40).
A nsurgeon nwould nlike nto nundertake na nresearch nstudy non nhis nclients nwith nstage nII
n malignant nmelanoma nof nthe nback, nwho nhave nundergone nwide nexcision nof nthe
n melanoma.nWhat nwork nprocesses nand nassociated nsoftware ncould nbe nused nto
n provide nthis ninformation?
a. Obtain na nsummary nof nthe ncases nfrom nthe ncancer nregistry, nimport nthem
into nanspreadsheet, nand nprovide nto nthe nsurgeon.
n
b. Obtain na nsummary nof nthe ncases nfrom nthe nchart ncompletion nsoftware, nimport
them nintona nspreadsheet, nand nprovide nto nthe nsurgeon.
n
c. Obtain na nsummary nof nthe ncases nfrom nthe nmaster nclient nindex, nimport nthem
,into nanspreadsheet, nand nprovide nto nthe nsurgeon.
n
d. Obtain na nsummary nof nthe ncases nfrom nthe ntranscription ntracking nsoftware,
n import nthem ninto na nspreadsheet, nand nprovide nto nthe nsurgeon. n
RIGHT nANS:->> na. nObtain na nsummary nofnthe ncases nfrom nthe ncancer nregistry,
n import nthem ninto na nspreadsheet, nand nprovide nto nthe nsurgeon.
Rationale:->>The ncancer nregistry ncan nbe nused nto nundertake nstudies nin naddition nto
n reporting ncases ntona ncentral nregistry n(Sharp nand nMadlock-Brown n2016, n173).
A nfacility nlocated nnear na nnational npark nhas na nsignificant nnumber nof nsnake nbites,
n and nclients nreceive ntreatment nwith nantivenom nin nurgent-care nsettings. nSometimes
a clientnis nadmitted nto nthe nhospital nafter nseveral ndays. nCan nthe nurgent-care
n n
n setting nprovide nthe nhospital nwith na nlist nof nnames nof nclients ntreated nwith nsnake
n antivenom?
a. Only nthe nnames nof nclients nwho nare nadmitted nto nthe nhospital ncan nbe nrequested nif
n the nphysician nneeds nit nfor ncontinuity nof ncare, nbut nan nentire nlist nof nclients ncannot
be nprovided.
n
b. A nlist nof nnames ncould nbe nprovided.
c. No ninformation ncan nbe nobtained nunder nany ncircumstances.
d. A nlist nof nclients nmay nbe navailable nafter nconsultation nwith nthe nnational npark
n ranger. n
RIGHT nANS n:->> na. nOnly nthe nnames nof nclients nwho nare nadmitted nto nthe
n hospital ncan nbenrequested nif nthe nphysician nneeds nit nfor ncontinuity nof ncare, nbut
n an nentire nlist nof nclients ncannot nbe nprovided.
Rationale:->>Only nrecords nthat nare nrequired nfor ncare nor nauthorized nby nthe nclient
can nbe nreleased nby nthe nurgent-care nfacility nto nthe nacute-care nfacility n(Brodnik
n
, n 2012, n225; nRinehart-Thompsonn2016b, n243-247).
What ndiagnoses nand nprocedures nshould nbe nreported nfor nrecurrent nleft ninguinal
hernianwith nlaparoscopic nrepair?
n
K40.30 nUnilateral ninguinal nhernia, nwith nobstruction, nwithout ngangrene, nnot
specified nasnrecurrent
n
K40.31 nUnilateral ninguinal nhernia, nwith nobstruction, nwithout ngangrene, nrecurrent
K40.91 nUnilateral ninguinal nhernia, nwithout nmention nof nobstruction nor ngangrene,
recurrentn49520 nRepair nrecurrent ninguinal nhernia, nany nage; nreducible
n
49521 nRepair nrecurrent ninguinal nhernia, nany nage; nincarcerated nor
strangulatedn49651 nLaparoscopy, nsurgical; nrepair nrecurrent ninguinal nhernia
n
a. nK40.91, n49520
b. nK40.31, n49521
c. nK40.91, n49651
d. nK40.30, n49520 n
RIGHT nANS:->> nc. nK40.91:Unilateral ninguinal nhernia, nwithout nmentionnof
obstruction nor ngangrene, nrecurrent n49651:Laparoscopy, nsurgical; nrepair nrecurrent
n
inguinal nhernia
n
Rationale:->>The nclient nhas na nrecurrent nhernia nwithout nobstruction nand nthis nis
n captured nin ndiagnosisncode nK40.91 n(Leon-Chisen n2017, n253; nCPT nAssistant nNov.
1999, n24; nMarch n2000, n9).
n
.In norder nto naccurately ncode na ncardiac ncatheterization, nwhat nneeds nto nbe
determinednbased non na nreview nof nthe ndocumentation?
n
a. The napproach nand nthe nside nof nthe nheart n(chambers) ninto nwhich nthe
catheter nwasninserted
n
b. The napproach, nthe nside nof nthe nheart n(chambers) ninto nwhich nthe ncatheter nwas
, inserted,nas nwell nas nany nadditional nprocedures nperformed
n
c. The nduration nof nthe nprocedure
d. If nthere nis ndocumentation nof nthe nprocedure nin nthe nmedical nrecord nthat
n stents nare nconsidered n
RIGHT nANS:->> nb. nThe napproach, nthe nside nof nthe nheart n(chambers)
intonwhich nthe ncatheter nwas ninserted, nas nwell nas nany nadditional nprocedures
n
performed
n
A ncondition nis npresent non nadmission nwhen:
a. It nis nthe nprincipal ndiagnosis
b. It nis naccordance nwith nmedical nstaff nbylaws
c. A ncondition nthat noccurs nprior nto nan ninclient nadmission
d. It nis npresent nwithin n3 ndays nafter nadmission n
RIGHT nANS:->> nc. nA ncondition nthat noccursnprior nto nan ninclient nadmission
Rationale n:->>It nis nimportant nto nunderstand nthe ntime nframe nfor nassigning na nstatus
code nspecifying nthatna ncondition nis npresent non nadmission n(Leon-Chisen n2017,
n
n 571-574).
Diagnostic-related ngroups n(DRGs) nand nambulatory nclient nclassifications n(APCs)
arensimilar nin nthat nthey nare nboth:
n
a. Determined nby nHCPCS ncodes
b. Focused non nhospital noutclients
c. Focused non nhospital ninclients
d. Prospective npayment nsystems n
RIGHT nANS:->> nd. nProspective npayment nsystems
Rationale:->> nBoth nare ntypes nof nprospective npayment nsystems n(Casto nand
nForrestal n2015, n6).
nSPECIALIST nEXAM n| n|LATEST nVERSIONS nAND
nPRACTICE nQUESTIONS nAND nCORRECT nDETAILED
nANSWERS nwith nrationales n| nALREADY nGRADED nA+
A n55-year-old nclient nhas nhypertensive nheart ndisease nwith ncongestive nheart nfailure.
Whatncode nwould nbe nassigned?
n
a. I15.8, nOther nsecondary nhypertension
b. I11.0, nHypertensive nheart ndisease nwith nheart nfailure nand nI50.9, nHeart
failure,nunspecified
n
c. I50.9, nHeart nfailure, nunspecified nand nI15.0, nRenovascular nhypertension
d. N18.6, nEnd nstage nrenal ndisease n
RIGHT nANS n:->> nb. nI11.0, nHypertensive nheart ndiseasenwith nheart nfailure
and nI50.9, nHeart nfailure, nunspecified
n
Rationale n:->> nThere nis na ncause nand neffect nrelationship nestablished nbetween nthe
n hypertension nand nthe ncongestive nheart nfailure. nA nseparate ncode nfor nthe ncongestive
heart nfailure nis nassignednbased non nthe n"code nalso" nnote n(HHS n2017, nSection
n
n I.C.9.a., n40).
A nsurgeon nwould nlike nto nundertake na nresearch nstudy non nhis nclients nwith nstage nII
n malignant nmelanoma nof nthe nback, nwho nhave nundergone nwide nexcision nof nthe
n melanoma.nWhat nwork nprocesses nand nassociated nsoftware ncould nbe nused nto
n provide nthis ninformation?
a. Obtain na nsummary nof nthe ncases nfrom nthe ncancer nregistry, nimport nthem
into nanspreadsheet, nand nprovide nto nthe nsurgeon.
n
b. Obtain na nsummary nof nthe ncases nfrom nthe nchart ncompletion nsoftware, nimport
them nintona nspreadsheet, nand nprovide nto nthe nsurgeon.
n
c. Obtain na nsummary nof nthe ncases nfrom nthe nmaster nclient nindex, nimport nthem
,into nanspreadsheet, nand nprovide nto nthe nsurgeon.
n
d. Obtain na nsummary nof nthe ncases nfrom nthe ntranscription ntracking nsoftware,
n import nthem ninto na nspreadsheet, nand nprovide nto nthe nsurgeon. n
RIGHT nANS:->> na. nObtain na nsummary nofnthe ncases nfrom nthe ncancer nregistry,
n import nthem ninto na nspreadsheet, nand nprovide nto nthe nsurgeon.
Rationale:->>The ncancer nregistry ncan nbe nused nto nundertake nstudies nin naddition nto
n reporting ncases ntona ncentral nregistry n(Sharp nand nMadlock-Brown n2016, n173).
A nfacility nlocated nnear na nnational npark nhas na nsignificant nnumber nof nsnake nbites,
n and nclients nreceive ntreatment nwith nantivenom nin nurgent-care nsettings. nSometimes
a clientnis nadmitted nto nthe nhospital nafter nseveral ndays. nCan nthe nurgent-care
n n
n setting nprovide nthe nhospital nwith na nlist nof nnames nof nclients ntreated nwith nsnake
n antivenom?
a. Only nthe nnames nof nclients nwho nare nadmitted nto nthe nhospital ncan nbe nrequested nif
n the nphysician nneeds nit nfor ncontinuity nof ncare, nbut nan nentire nlist nof nclients ncannot
be nprovided.
n
b. A nlist nof nnames ncould nbe nprovided.
c. No ninformation ncan nbe nobtained nunder nany ncircumstances.
d. A nlist nof nclients nmay nbe navailable nafter nconsultation nwith nthe nnational npark
n ranger. n
RIGHT nANS n:->> na. nOnly nthe nnames nof nclients nwho nare nadmitted nto nthe
n hospital ncan nbenrequested nif nthe nphysician nneeds nit nfor ncontinuity nof ncare, nbut
n an nentire nlist nof nclients ncannot nbe nprovided.
Rationale:->>Only nrecords nthat nare nrequired nfor ncare nor nauthorized nby nthe nclient
can nbe nreleased nby nthe nurgent-care nfacility nto nthe nacute-care nfacility n(Brodnik
n
, n 2012, n225; nRinehart-Thompsonn2016b, n243-247).
What ndiagnoses nand nprocedures nshould nbe nreported nfor nrecurrent nleft ninguinal
hernianwith nlaparoscopic nrepair?
n
K40.30 nUnilateral ninguinal nhernia, nwith nobstruction, nwithout ngangrene, nnot
specified nasnrecurrent
n
K40.31 nUnilateral ninguinal nhernia, nwith nobstruction, nwithout ngangrene, nrecurrent
K40.91 nUnilateral ninguinal nhernia, nwithout nmention nof nobstruction nor ngangrene,
recurrentn49520 nRepair nrecurrent ninguinal nhernia, nany nage; nreducible
n
49521 nRepair nrecurrent ninguinal nhernia, nany nage; nincarcerated nor
strangulatedn49651 nLaparoscopy, nsurgical; nrepair nrecurrent ninguinal nhernia
n
a. nK40.91, n49520
b. nK40.31, n49521
c. nK40.91, n49651
d. nK40.30, n49520 n
RIGHT nANS:->> nc. nK40.91:Unilateral ninguinal nhernia, nwithout nmentionnof
obstruction nor ngangrene, nrecurrent n49651:Laparoscopy, nsurgical; nrepair nrecurrent
n
inguinal nhernia
n
Rationale:->>The nclient nhas na nrecurrent nhernia nwithout nobstruction nand nthis nis
n captured nin ndiagnosisncode nK40.91 n(Leon-Chisen n2017, n253; nCPT nAssistant nNov.
1999, n24; nMarch n2000, n9).
n
.In norder nto naccurately ncode na ncardiac ncatheterization, nwhat nneeds nto nbe
determinednbased non na nreview nof nthe ndocumentation?
n
a. The napproach nand nthe nside nof nthe nheart n(chambers) ninto nwhich nthe
catheter nwasninserted
n
b. The napproach, nthe nside nof nthe nheart n(chambers) ninto nwhich nthe ncatheter nwas
, inserted,nas nwell nas nany nadditional nprocedures nperformed
n
c. The nduration nof nthe nprocedure
d. If nthere nis ndocumentation nof nthe nprocedure nin nthe nmedical nrecord nthat
n stents nare nconsidered n
RIGHT nANS:->> nb. nThe napproach, nthe nside nof nthe nheart n(chambers)
intonwhich nthe ncatheter nwas ninserted, nas nwell nas nany nadditional nprocedures
n
performed
n
A ncondition nis npresent non nadmission nwhen:
a. It nis nthe nprincipal ndiagnosis
b. It nis naccordance nwith nmedical nstaff nbylaws
c. A ncondition nthat noccurs nprior nto nan ninclient nadmission
d. It nis npresent nwithin n3 ndays nafter nadmission n
RIGHT nANS:->> nc. nA ncondition nthat noccursnprior nto nan ninclient nadmission
Rationale n:->>It nis nimportant nto nunderstand nthe ntime nframe nfor nassigning na nstatus
code nspecifying nthatna ncondition nis npresent non nadmission n(Leon-Chisen n2017,
n
n 571-574).
Diagnostic-related ngroups n(DRGs) nand nambulatory nclient nclassifications n(APCs)
arensimilar nin nthat nthey nare nboth:
n
a. Determined nby nHCPCS ncodes
b. Focused non nhospital noutclients
c. Focused non nhospital ninclients
d. Prospective npayment nsystems n
RIGHT nANS:->> nd. nProspective npayment nsystems
Rationale:->> nBoth nare ntypes nof nprospective npayment nsystems n(Casto nand
nForrestal n2015, n6).
