CCDS PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2026/2027
1.A patient is admitted from the emergency department (ED) with a diagnosis of
weakness and anemia. After admission and further treatment with packed red
blood cells (PRBC), GI consult, and endoscopy, the physician includes the
following diagnoses in the discharge summary: anemia, suspected bleeding
gastric ulcer, and GERD. What would be the most appropriate principle
diagnosis?
A. Bleeding gastric ulcer
B. Anemia
C. GERD
D. Weakness
A. Bleeding gastric ulcer
2A patient is admitted with new-onset seizures. Head CT reveals a mass in the
occipital region. The physician documents possible brain tumor, and the patient
is transferred to another hospital for further workup. What would be the most
appropriate principal diagnosis based upon this documentation?
A. Seizure
B. Neoplasm of occipital region
C. Head mass
D. Head tumor
B. Neoplasm of occipital region
I
3A hospital's base rate or blended rate is:
1. Calculated annually
2. Dependent upon indirect costs for graduate medical education and new
technology
3. Adjusted based upon number of low-income patients cared for
4. Not adjusted based upon capital expenses
A. 1 and 2
B. 2 and 3
C. 1,2, and 3
D. 1,2,3, and 4
C. 1,2, and 3
1. Calculated annually
2. Dependent upon indirect costs for graduate medical education and new
technology
3. Adjusted based upon number of low-income patients cared for
Image
,4
The final MS-DRG assigned to a patient's medical record should:
A. Reflect the amount of time the physician spent with the patient
B. Depend upon the patient's length of stay
C. Be assigned by the physician
D. Reflect the severity of illness (SOI) and resource consumption of the patient's
care
D. Reflect the severity of illness (SOI) and resource consumption of the patient's
care
5 .A patient is admitted from the emergency department with the diagnosis of
acute respiratory failure due to overdose of pain medication and an aspiration
pneumonia. What is the principal diagnosis?
A. Acute respiratory failure
B. Aspiration pneumonia
C. Poisoning
D. Adverse effect of medication
C. Poisonin
6 .A patient is admitted with pneumonia, stage 1 chronic renal failure, chronic
anemia, and COPD, While hospitalized the patient receives IV antibiotics,
inhalers, oxygen, IV fluids at 50mL/hr, and iron tablets. Keeping the guidelines for
coding of secondary diagnoses in mind, which condition should be coded?
A. Pneumonia only
B. Pneumonia and COPD only
C. Pneumonia, COPD, and anemia
D. All of the conditions should be coded
D. All of the conditions should be coded
7. Which of the following is an example of a hospital-acquired condition?
A. Fat embolism
B. IV phlebitis
C. Pneumonia
D. Fractured ulna
D. Fractured ulna
8 .Which of the following is an example of documentation that would meet the
present on admission criteria for coding?
A. A diagnosis that is indicated in the history and physical and ruled out in the
discharge summary
B. A diagnosis found in a previous medical record
, C. A diagnosis that is listed as possible in the history and physical
D. An acute condition identified on the third day of admission
C. A diagnosis that is listed as possible in the history and physical
9.A patient is admitted with abdominal pain and the history and physical
indicated a diagnosis of probable colon cancer. On day two, the physician
documents acute renal failure in the progress notes and the patient receives IV
fluids. The discharge summary lists possible metastatic colon cancer and acute
renal failure. The principal diagnosis would be:
A. Colon cancer
B. Acute renal failure
C. Abdominal pain
D. Metastatic neoplasm of the colon
A. Colon cancer
10.Accurate documentation should:
1. Include identification of the patient's SOI
2. Identify conditions that are present on admission
3. Support medical necessity
A. 1 and 2
B. 2 and 3
C. 1 and 3
D. 1,2, and 3
D. 1,2, and 3
1. Include identification of the patient's SOI
2. Identify conditions that are present on admission
3. Support medical necessity
11.A patient with a history of metastatic lung cancer is directly admitted from the
doctor's office with a diagnosis of anemia secondary to chemotherapy. The
patient receives two units of PRBCs and is discharged. What is the most
appropriate principal diagnosis?
A. Respiratory neoplasm
B. Anemia
C. Admission for chemotherapy
D. Admission for blood transfusion
B. Anemia
12.A patient is admitted from the ED with rectal bleeding secondary to Coumadin
toxicity. The physician documents that the patient had a recent increase in
1.A patient is admitted from the emergency department (ED) with a diagnosis of
weakness and anemia. After admission and further treatment with packed red
blood cells (PRBC), GI consult, and endoscopy, the physician includes the
following diagnoses in the discharge summary: anemia, suspected bleeding
gastric ulcer, and GERD. What would be the most appropriate principle
diagnosis?
A. Bleeding gastric ulcer
B. Anemia
C. GERD
D. Weakness
A. Bleeding gastric ulcer
2A patient is admitted with new-onset seizures. Head CT reveals a mass in the
occipital region. The physician documents possible brain tumor, and the patient
is transferred to another hospital for further workup. What would be the most
appropriate principal diagnosis based upon this documentation?
A. Seizure
B. Neoplasm of occipital region
C. Head mass
D. Head tumor
B. Neoplasm of occipital region
I
3A hospital's base rate or blended rate is:
1. Calculated annually
2. Dependent upon indirect costs for graduate medical education and new
technology
3. Adjusted based upon number of low-income patients cared for
4. Not adjusted based upon capital expenses
A. 1 and 2
B. 2 and 3
C. 1,2, and 3
D. 1,2,3, and 4
C. 1,2, and 3
1. Calculated annually
2. Dependent upon indirect costs for graduate medical education and new
technology
3. Adjusted based upon number of low-income patients cared for
Image
,4
The final MS-DRG assigned to a patient's medical record should:
A. Reflect the amount of time the physician spent with the patient
B. Depend upon the patient's length of stay
C. Be assigned by the physician
D. Reflect the severity of illness (SOI) and resource consumption of the patient's
care
D. Reflect the severity of illness (SOI) and resource consumption of the patient's
care
5 .A patient is admitted from the emergency department with the diagnosis of
acute respiratory failure due to overdose of pain medication and an aspiration
pneumonia. What is the principal diagnosis?
A. Acute respiratory failure
B. Aspiration pneumonia
C. Poisoning
D. Adverse effect of medication
C. Poisonin
6 .A patient is admitted with pneumonia, stage 1 chronic renal failure, chronic
anemia, and COPD, While hospitalized the patient receives IV antibiotics,
inhalers, oxygen, IV fluids at 50mL/hr, and iron tablets. Keeping the guidelines for
coding of secondary diagnoses in mind, which condition should be coded?
A. Pneumonia only
B. Pneumonia and COPD only
C. Pneumonia, COPD, and anemia
D. All of the conditions should be coded
D. All of the conditions should be coded
7. Which of the following is an example of a hospital-acquired condition?
A. Fat embolism
B. IV phlebitis
C. Pneumonia
D. Fractured ulna
D. Fractured ulna
8 .Which of the following is an example of documentation that would meet the
present on admission criteria for coding?
A. A diagnosis that is indicated in the history and physical and ruled out in the
discharge summary
B. A diagnosis found in a previous medical record
, C. A diagnosis that is listed as possible in the history and physical
D. An acute condition identified on the third day of admission
C. A diagnosis that is listed as possible in the history and physical
9.A patient is admitted with abdominal pain and the history and physical
indicated a diagnosis of probable colon cancer. On day two, the physician
documents acute renal failure in the progress notes and the patient receives IV
fluids. The discharge summary lists possible metastatic colon cancer and acute
renal failure. The principal diagnosis would be:
A. Colon cancer
B. Acute renal failure
C. Abdominal pain
D. Metastatic neoplasm of the colon
A. Colon cancer
10.Accurate documentation should:
1. Include identification of the patient's SOI
2. Identify conditions that are present on admission
3. Support medical necessity
A. 1 and 2
B. 2 and 3
C. 1 and 3
D. 1,2, and 3
D. 1,2, and 3
1. Include identification of the patient's SOI
2. Identify conditions that are present on admission
3. Support medical necessity
11.A patient with a history of metastatic lung cancer is directly admitted from the
doctor's office with a diagnosis of anemia secondary to chemotherapy. The
patient receives two units of PRBCs and is discharged. What is the most
appropriate principal diagnosis?
A. Respiratory neoplasm
B. Anemia
C. Admission for chemotherapy
D. Admission for blood transfusion
B. Anemia
12.A patient is admitted from the ED with rectal bleeding secondary to Coumadin
toxicity. The physician documents that the patient had a recent increase in
