CCS Outpatient & ED Coding Practice Questions
Outpatient & ED Coding makes up 5 of every 50 questions on a Tigertest CCS practice test. Here are 10 of the 20 questions on it, each with the answer and the reason.
Updated by the Tigertest team. Weighted to the AHIMA CCS Exam Content Outline. Original questions on coding guidelines and concepts; not affiliated with AHIMA.
1. At an outpatient visit, a coexisting chronic condition is coded when it:
- A.Is reported by the patient
- B.Affects patient care
- C.Is on the problem list
- D.Was treated last year
Answer: B. Outpatient guidelines say to code all documented conditions that coexist at the time of the encounter and require or affect patient care, treatment or management.
2. An outpatient chest X-ray is ordered for cough, and the radiologist's final report shows pneumonia. Code:
- A.Cough and pneumonia
- B.An abnormal X-ray finding
- C.Cough
- D.Pneumonia
Answer: D. For outpatient diagnostic tests interpreted by a physician, code the confirmed diagnosis in the final interpretation and do not add the related signs or symptoms.
3. A patient comes for a preoperative evaluation before cataract surgery. The first-listed code is:
- A.The preop exam Z code
- B.The planned procedure
- C.The cataract diagnosis
- D.Any finding on the exam
Answer: A. For an outpatient preoperative evaluation, sequence the Z01.81- code first, then the reason for the surgery, then any findings of the evaluation.
4. A hospital reports two outpatient E/M encounters for one patient in different clinics on one date. The second takes modifier:
- A.76
- B.59
- C.27
- D.25
Answer: C. Modifier 27 identifies multiple outpatient hospital E/M encounters on the same date. It is a facility modifier, not used by physicians.
5. An outpatient hospital procedure is stopped after anesthesia was given. The facility appends modifier:
- A.53
- B.52
- C.74
- D.73
Answer: C. Hospitals and ASCs report 73 for a procedure discontinued after preparation but before anesthesia, and 74 for one discontinued after anesthesia was given. Modifier 53 is for physicians only.
6. Services at an excepted off-campus provider-based department are reported with modifier:
- A.PO
- B.PD
- C.PT
- D.PN
Answer: A. OPPS claims flag services at an excepted off-campus provider-based department with PO. Non-excepted departments use PN, which is paid at a site-neutral rate.
7. Which modifier reports a distinct service done at a separate encounter on the same day?
- A.XU
- B.XS
- C.XP
- D.XE
Answer: D. The X{EPSU} modifiers refine 59: XE separate encounter, XS separate structure, XP separate practitioner and XU unusual non-overlapping service.
8. Anatomic modifiers such as RT, LT and the finger modifiers are:
- A.Revenue code suffixes
- B.HCPCS Level II modifiers
- C.CPT Category I modifiers
- D.ICD-10-CM characters
Answer: B. RT, LT, the F (finger) and T (toe) modifiers and the eyelid modifiers are HCPCS Level II modifiers. CPT modifiers are two digits.
9. A drug from a single-dose vial is given with none discarded. Medicare asks for modifier:
- A.GA
- B.JZ
- C.JW
- D.JB
Answer: B. Medicare requires JW for the discarded amount from a single-dose container and JZ when no amount was discarded. GA is the ABN-on-file modifier.
10. Modifier KX on a Medicare claim generally shows that:
- A.The service was repeated
- B.The service is excluded by law
- C.An ABN is on file for it
- D.Policy requirements are met
Answer: D. KX attests that the requirements in the relevant medical policy, such as documentation of medical necessity above a therapy threshold, have been met and are in the record.
Practice all 20 outpatient & ed coding questions, and the rest of the 200-question bank, in the free CCS training sets. Questions you miss come back until you have mastered them.
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